Combatant Souls, Eternal Spirits
by RegalAngel18
Summary: Goku and Gojyo find themselves in heaven for the first time but what they find there isn't exactly a land of eternal bliss.
1. Chapter 1

**Combatant Souls, Eternal Spirits**

**Chapter 1: Embarking **

Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction about Son Goku and Sha Gojyo from Saiyuki. I neither own, nor claim to own, any part of Saiyuki™. There are, however, several characters that are not from Saiyuki—they are my own characters created expressly for this fanfiction. Please, feel free to send commentary, suggestions, anything constructive to help me in the development of this fanfiction. If you like this fanfiction (or don't) let me know (nicely and civilized please). Note, in some instances there will be scenes of graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.

The sun glared bright and golden in the zenith of the sky. It was another hot, unbearable day in the steamy jungle. Goku sat down under the shade of a tall tree. It didn't help much; the entire forest was damp and muggy. "I can't believe I lost that stupid map!" He groaned belligerently. He had been traveling the forest for three days now, the most of which was spent walking in a circle looking for the displaced map. "I'm hot, an' tired, an' I'm HUNGRY" he whined to himself.

He reached up and wiped sweat from his face and forehead being careful not to displace his diadem. He didn't know why he still wore it. He knew nothing would happen to him this time if he didn't. Gyumaoh had since been defeated, and the Minus Wave that drove youkai insane had been destroyed. Maybe it was meant to be a memento of his experience, or a reminder of the things he, Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo had endured. He removed the aged leather bag on his back and took out a picture of the four of them together along with some Dim Sum he had bought not too long before his departure. He chewed the Dim Sum slowly as he replayed in his head his departure.

Sanzo had just finished a can of beer and was smoking a cigarette as he read the paper, Gojyo wasn't even in the temple at the time, and Hakkai was reading some fictional novel; but no one seemed to notice Goku running back and forth packing his bag full of supplies: medicine, clothes, and—of course—food. He only took the imperishable foods but they still took up a large portion of room in his bag. "I'm leavin' you guys." He had said. Hakkai glanced at him for a moment, then returned to his reading; Sanzo didn't bother making any responses. They all were bored out of their minds. No one had anything to do since their journey to the west ended. Goku felt it was time he went on his own journey.

He didn't know where he would go exactly—he thought he would simply go into the sun's direction when it rose—east. He finished his Dim Sum and convinced himself to not eat anything more. _I don't know how long this journey will be, so I have to save my food as much as possible. Besides, it's not like I have Sanzo here to pay for any more food. _He thought. He readjusted his Nyoi-Bo, which began to slip from its place on his left arm. Slowly his eyes closed and he let the sluggishness take over. He slept instantly due to fatigue from walking most of the night, when it was cooler, and the heat of the forest. He dreamed of the clouds.

Gojyo slowly woke up in yet another stranger's bed. He looked to his left as his partner shifted. She was another blond—the third this week—and he remembered she had been relatively boring in bed. Gojyo gazed upon her slim figure that lay exposed from the waist up and noticed the smell of sweat in the sheets. She lay sleeping heavily with her back facing Gojyo. He looked up towards the window and stared into the narrow slit of light that shone through an opening in the blinds.

Slowly, trying not to wake the girl beside him, Gojyo removed the sheets and gathered his clothes from around the bed. It was late morning, and Gojyo knew what would happen. He had done it before, actually, almost all the time. He would leave and she would wake up with no one there. Inevitably she would remember Gojyo instantly because of his red hair—it was always his hair people recognized first—and spend the better part of her day looking for him, or at least some remnant of him.

He dressed quickly and left as soon as he could, to avoid the possibility of her waking up. A familiar feeling came over him as he stepped into the crisp air and full glow of the sun. It wasn't a good feeling, simply familiar. He could only describe it as liberation from the monotony of his life. Completely out of character, Gojyo thought to himself: _Everything is boring now, even sex. _He looked around the already busy village: at the numerous people opening their shops; at the children playing as they scuttled to school; at the numerous people doing menial chores—and wondered what it would be like to be one of them. For all it was worth, he knew that they, at least, weren't bored out of their minds and tired of their lives. Resiliently, he began his promenade back to the temple some five miles away. _That is why, _he thought, _she will never find me. _He was speaking of his musings and how his presence would be all but extinguished in the place where everyone was too busy to have noticed "A guy with hair as red as blood".

Goku woke not too long after he had fallen asleep and yawned ferociously. He glanced down at the picture that had remained in his lap. He looked up through the leaves towards the sun just in time to see a figure falling from one of the tall tree limbs. "Gah!" he shouted as he rolled out of the way. The figure landed with almost no sound, and with the grace of a cat.

"Who are you?" the figure demanded blatantly. Goku stared up at the figure. It was a girl with green eyes and short, silver hair. She wore a simple leather tunic with a bow strap holding a container of arrows, jade earrings, and a jade necklace. She wore no shoes and smelled of herbs. Goku noticed the wooden bow in her left hand as she adeptly grabbed an arrow and strung it to her bow aimed directly down towards him.

"W-wait!" Goku stammered as he tried to quickly get up, "I didn't mean to do anything, honest I was—"

"Shut up!" she yelled interrupting him, "Stay right where you are! Tell me your name!"

"My name's Goku." He answered staring back at the girl. Suddenly a loud boom came from the distance. The sound caused the girl to jump and release the arrow by mistake. It blared passed Goku's head nearly clipping his ear. Quickly, he moved in to stop the girl from drawing another arrow.

"Get back! Get back!" she yelled as she tried to pull away from Goku's strong grasp. Her shrieks echoed into the dense forest causing many birds to answer with shrieks of their own.

"What's your name?" Goku asked staring into the girls eyes. He knew he could have taken the bow and arrows, but he didn't want to.

"Let me go and I'll tell you." Goku released her hands confident that she wouldn't be able to attack him with an arrow at such a short range. To his surprise she lunged at him with an iron dagger she pulled from her left side.

"What th' heck! I'm not doin' anything! Why are you tryin' to kill me!" he exclaimed dodging her lunges easily. She lunged once more and this time a whip from off into the forest latched onto her hand causing her to drop the weapon.

Goku quickly ran back to his things as the girl was preoccupied with whoever used that whip. He replaced the picture in his bag and tightened it; then he grabbed his Nyoi-Bo ready to defend himself if necessary. The new assailant shortly appeared dragging the girl to him as he walked towards the area. This guy wore black all over and smelled heavily of blood—both aged and fresh.

Goku waited to see exactly what this foe would do before he would attack. The man withdrew a short sword and ran towards the girl, who had somehow fallen while Goku gathered his belongings. The girl held her hands almost cupping the jade charm on her necklace and formed a dense ball of green Chi energy and fired it directly at the assailant. He dodged and moved in for the lunge. Here, Goku acted quickly, "Nyoi-Bo!" he cried as he extended his Bo into its sansekkon form. With it, he intercepted the lunge and cast the foe into the depths of the forest.

"I didn't need your help!" the girl cried. She got up and quickly gathered her lost equipment and ran off. Goku grabbed his own possessions and ran after her. She continued to run, even after Goku managed to catch up with her.

"Who was that, an' what's goin' on?" he asked her. She seemed to ignore his question and scaled the base of a tree continuing to move within the tree limbs. Goku stopped to turn around and see where the assailant was. The same whip from before lashed out wildly aiming for Goku's throat. He dodged and grabbed the middle of the whip pulling as best he could to bring him closer to his new enemy.

"You are not to interfere!" the assailant yelled trying to reclaim his weapon.

"Tell me what's happenin'! Why th' heck are you all tryin' to kill me!" Goku demanded.

"You are simply in the way; you are a nuisance!" he replied.

Angrily, Goku lunged towards him delivering a decisive kick to his neck. The speed and force were so great that the guy died instantly without actually registering that Goku had attacked him. His body slumped to the floor and a scroll rolled from his back. Goku moved closer to make sure that the guy was dead. Suddenly, the body imploded with a loud boom and a magic circle expanded around Goku. Goku held on tightly to his Nyoi-Bo and felt a twinge of hope that he might have found the adventure he was looking for. The magic circle shone bright with a pale, white light; and Goku could feel himself become transported from his current world.

Gojyo walked in an elated silence towards the temple where the others stayed. It felt weird to be away from the others, he guessed that they had spent too much time together. In an odd kind of way, he felt like they were more of a family than friends. He laughed to himself at the thought of Hakkai wearing an apron and telling him to clean off his plate. "That's just like Hakkai, too." He said to himself.

It was around noon, and the sun's rays shone bright and fiercely onto the open path of earth beneath him. His red hair seemed to shine with the intensity of fire, but his eyes stayed a cold blood-red. He once again thought of the blond he had left in the village and then quickly erased her out of his mind. "I'll find someone better next time." He told himself and his diminishing libido. "I'll find someone much better…"

An ear-splitting shriek echoed from the distance. Gojyo looked up with a start in the direction towards the city. The city itself was fine, still intact; but he could see three figures running out of the outer gates; two guys and a girl. The guys were both dressed in black, but the girl wore white, pure white, and in the hot sun she held an almost ethereal glow. All three ran in his direction and it looked like the girl was the one being attacked. He readied himself and equipped his shakujou almost expectant to get involved.

The girl passed behind him and he quickly caught her hand. "No worries, doll, I'll take care of those men for you." He said giving her his most winning smile.

The assailants soon caught up and he attacked them—the chain of his shakujou encircling them before the keen, crescent blade came in for a death-dealing blow at their necks. Both enemies dodged out of the attack with ease and stopped their chase.

"Now, now," Gojyo arrogantly said, "that's just not fair—two guys against one girl; you might as well call it rape". He attacked again, but this time it was quicker and less flashy. One assailant barely dodged it and was cut across his chest. The other, however, was not as lucky. The chain of the shakujou encircled, then entangled him and the blade sliced through him like a hot knife through butter.

"Who are you to interfere?" the girl said behind him holding two kunai knives to his throat.

"Your rescuer…at least, I was supposed to be." He replied looking directly at her. Gojyo checked the girl out. She stared at him with fierce red eyes—eyes that held a cold, blood-red hue—her hair was a pale, sea foam green and to her shoulders; she looked as if she could be, at most, eighteen.

She gave him a sly smile, "Well then, I think you've found yourself a bad damsel in distress."

"Oh? How so/" Gojyo asked continuing to flirt with her.

Withdrawing her kunai from Gojyo's neck she threw one at the other goon who tried to attack while the two where flirting. The kunai soared through the air and sliced through the enemy's head and landed in the sand behind him. Gojyo laughed as he saw the dead body slump to the floor. "I like that." He said simply.

"Now here comes the best part." The girl said as two magic circles enveloped the both of them. Gojyo watched as the girl disappeared and felt himself become light, then ethereal, then non-existent.

exploded and a magic circle took its place.

Author's Note: Hey, readers! Thank you for reading my first chapter, it really means a lot to me. I hope you are enjoying the story, but keep in mind that this is only the first chapter. I kind of write these as I go along so if so be afraid to review each chapter. Let me know how I'm doing and what you think I should do. Thanks again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Encounters

_All disclaimers apply._

White light made it nearly impossible for Goku to open his eyes. The light was intense for him. It felt as if he had been kept in darkness for a long amount of time, then, suddenly, someone shoved him into the sun. It didn't help that he had a painful headache and could barely register his body lying prostrate on a floor. He couldn't feel much of anything; nothing seemed to register in his mind. He tried to move his hand to block out the painful intensity of light, but his arm remained limp by his side. Slowly, however, the pain of the headache subsided, his eyes became somewhat used to the light, and his body once again responded to the commands sent by his brain.

"SON GOKU!" a strange, masculine voice boomed heavily, "RISE BEFORE US, SON GOKU!".

Goku stood up and looked around quickly for his Nyoi-Bo and other things. Nothing was there. All he could see, as far as his eyes would see, was bright, brilliant light. There were many figures and bodies of different shapes and sizes ranging from men to women, from short to tall, from old to young—all clad in pure white robes and tunics.

"SON GOKU, YOU HAVE INTERFERED IN SOMETHING THAT DID NOT CONCERN YOU OR YOUR KIND. RISE BEFORE THE COUCIL AND EXPLAIN YOUR INTRUSION."

Goku looked straight ahead, eight rather grandiose figures stood several yards in front of him. It was hard to tell exactly, but it seemed that half of them were females. They stood emanating an almost tangible aura. Goku stood not knowing what to say, not really wanting to say anything.

"What's goin' on? What is all of this?" he asked slowly.

One of the eight, a male—supposedly—with a large, alien head, beady red eyes, and a small frame answered, "This is our tournament, you have unrightfully intervened to aid one of our contestants; we, now, must decide what to do with you in light of this." His voice was weak and wispy; a sharp contrast to the one who spoke before.

"I-I didn't mean to do anything, really." Goku spoke tentatively, "He just attacked me and I defended myself…" Goku looked down and his voice lowered as he finished speaking.

"But you had no right, no need to exert force enough to kill the opponent!" Another odd figure, a female, responded this time seeming angry—almost outraged—at the intrusion. "Now you have disrupted the course of the entire tournament!"

"Please," Goku offered tentatively, "I'm sorry." That's when he suddenly noticed a strange feeling on his head. It was as if something was missing. He reached up to his skull and ran his fingers through his hair; through the place where his diadem was suppose to be.

"We have removed your accessory and accosted your weapon." A third voice spoke wearing a somewhat unctuous grin on his odd, elongated face.

Goku stood helplessly, hesitant, cautious and he thought of Hakkai again who would have, undoubtedly, suggested he remain calm. Now none of the others were here to help him out of the situation—he felt a twinge of longing to be back with the others—back with Sanzo. He let both hands fall to his sides and stood looking into the area of the council members.

A lingering silence came upon the area; the council members seemed to be waiting for an answer or an explanation; Goku didn't oblige. He, instead, noticed the environment around him. The air was pristine, clear, almost as if it were nothing but oxygen. Aside from the many figures off in the distance, nothing really moved with much—life. The scent in the air was strange to Goku, the entire place was strange to him.

The sonorous voice boomed again breaking the silence like a bulldozer crashing into the anterior of a brick building, "WE, THE COUNCIL, HAVE DECIDED TO ALLOW YOU TO STAY AND PARTICIPATE IN OUR TOURNAMENT. YOU SHALL BE GIVEN ALL NECESSARY INFORMATION REGARDING THE RULES, REGULATIONS, AND SOFORTH. SON GOKU, YOU HAVE BEEN WELCOMED INTO THE SACRED ARCHGODS' MULTIVERSE TOURNAMENT. PROCEED TO THE CHAMBERS PREPARED FOR YOU."

Goku bowed not knowing what else to do, and felt awkward doing it. It felt kind of demeaning for him to bow, even though he knew it was appropriate. He walked off into the distance of the light led by one short, bald humanoid dressed in robes. _What have I gotten into? _He wondered.

Pain. Unbearable and lingering pain. That was all that Gojyo felt. _How could teleporting be so painful? _He thought to himself. The pain was so strong, so blinding, that it seemed to leave him no room for control. Aside from the pain, he could register only the darkness around him. Everything was pitch black; he tried to open his eyes, but he wasn't sure whether he really had, or if he was just too completely incapacitated by the pain. No matter what, darkness enveloped his entire body and he could see nothing. He groaned in agony, a slight agony that held more frustration than desperation.

"SHA GOJYO." A voice sounded. The cacophonous sound sent ripples of fresh pain through his body. He writhed trying to cover his ears and dull the pain. It seemed that no matter what he would do, the pain would not subside.

"SHA GOJYO! RISE TO YOUR FEET!".

He felt an odd pressure against his neck; it was a foreign, deliberate pressure not close to his jugular vein, but nevertheless against his neck. The darkness he saw suddenly vaporized and light flooded into his raw, open eyes. He quickly closed them back; but it didn't help. He still saw the white sheen of the light, as if his eyelids had suddenly become translucent.

"SHA GOJYO, RISE TO YOUR FEET!" the voice sounded again; obviously becoming annoyed.

"Hold on!" he shouted, struggling to get on his feet. "If you wanted better cooperation you should have used less drugs".

"SHA GOJYO, YOU HAVE INTERFERED IN SOMETHING THAT DID NOT CONCERN YOU OR YOUR KIND. RISE BEFORE THE COUCIL AND EXPLAIN YOUR INTRUSION."

"I dunno," he answered cockily. "I guess I couldn't just allow a girl like that to be attack by losers like them."

"This is our tournament, you have unrightfully intervened to aid one of our contestants; we, now, must decide what to do with you in light of this."

The pain finally subsided enough for Gojyo to see to whom he was talking to. Eight large figures stood before him. None of them looked exactly human, but they didn't exhibit any youkai traits either. _Completely alien and obviously peeved. _Gojyo thought to himself.

"Well," he began to say with a cheeky grin on his face, "if you can hook me up with that piece of—"

"You will keep your mouth shut unless we speak to you first, retched half-breed!" one of the large aliens snapped with a sharp, masculine voice suddenly cutting off Gojyo's sentence.

"Wha'd you call me!" he responded, his anger rising immediately. He moved as if ready to strike, but found himself encased in an active electric field within seconds.

"You will know your place!" the same creature cried out vehemently. "You stand before the Council! Here, we are law!"

"Well someone's a little full of themselves…" Gojyo muttered under his breath.

"SHA GOJYO, WE, THE COUNCIL, HAVE DECIDED TO ALLOW YOU TO STAY AND PARTICIPATE IN OUR TOURNAMENT. YOU SHALL BE GIVEN ALL NECESSARY INFORMATION REGARDING THE RULES, REGULATIONS, AND SOFORTH. SON GOKU, YOU HAVE BEEN WELCOMED INTO THE SACRED GODS' MULTIVERSE TOURNAMENT. PROCEED TO THE CHAMBERS PREPARED FOR YOU."

Gojyo, as well as the council member he was arguing with looked to the source of the booming voice with surprise. "I don't wanna be a part of your stupid tourney!" Gojyo protested. Deep within his heart, however, Gojyo didn't really believe his own words.

"You no longer have a choice, half-breed." The angry council member sighed.

"Son Goku, your chambers are in here, your possessions will be brought to you shortly." The short, bald alien said to Goku as he entered the room. Goku looked around the room without much feeling. It was a cube with white, gleaming walls, a bed, a full-length mirror, and the door he had just walked through. The floor was bare and shined as if fluorescent lights lined the entire floor. Goku sat on the bed, then moved to lay down. It had been three days since he slept in an actual bed; unfortunately, the bed was as stiff as a board and yielded nothing to Goku's body weight.

His door creaked open on its hinges which shocked Goku into a sitting position. The girl from the forest, now wearing a white tunic waltzed in carrying Goku's leather sack and Nyoi-Bo in her left hand. In her right she held folded white clothes; on her head, was Goku's diadem.

She dropped the sack on the floor, Goku winced as the sack hit the floor emitting a sound like that of shifting metal cans and breaking glass; he stifled a groan as he realized what just broke inside his bag.

"Thanks a lot," she spat as she threw him the clothes in her hand, "because of you, I have to go out on another battle mission, you don't know how easy that guy was compared to some of the other people! I basically had him right where I wanted him before you got in the way!"

"I don't believe you." He answered staring more at his diadem than at the girl. 'If you really knew what you were doing, you wouldn't have jumped when you heard that noise the first time."

The girl looked at him with an embarrassed look, "I was just nervous, that's all; it was my first battle mission." She said her voice trailing. "But you screwed it up!" she suddenly yelled, her voice echoing off the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room.

"I'm sorry," Goku apologized "who are you, anyway? You never told me your name."

"Ayanna." She said staring at him with embittered eyes. "I come from a place called Thelius, I am 16 years old and I use magic and bows as weapons. And that's all you're going to know about me." She answered cockily. Suddenly, she began to walk out the door.

"Uh, uh" Goku murmured as he rose on his feet, "can I have my diadem back?"

"No." she looked at him slyly waiting for his reaction.

"Why not, it's not like it belongs to you."

"Consider it payment for stealing my win." Ayanna began to walk out the door again, but Goku caught her hand and held her back. She looked up at him with a hurt expression as if she wasn't expecting Goku to actually insist.

"Really, I need it back." Goku insisted. He looked into her green eyes and reached for his diadem with his free hand. She stared back, seemingly transfixed, and allowed Goku to take it from her head. He let her go and replaced his diadem in its proper place.

"Just make sure you keep up with this tournament, 'cause if you don't, you'll die. I won't be afraid to kill you." Ayanna threatened as she backed out of the door. Goku stared after her wondering why she shifted so suddenly. She was, at first, apprehensive, then he detected a bit of submission when he held her arm; but now she seemed somewhat concerned. He watched her disappear into the white halls that held no strands of life, then shut his door.

He rummaged through his leather sack looking for the picture. A sharp pain, then droplets of blood confirmed that the glass within the picture frame had been broken. He emptied his sack onto the floor and searched for the remnants of the frame. He searched through everything twice, but all he found was an empty and broken picture frame—the picture had be stolen.

Gojyo didn't wait very long in his room. He looked at the room, collecting his shakujou from the bald, pale, man that had led him there, then left in search of something interesting to do. He walked through the hall and into the clearing he had come from not too long ago. He looked around with a smirk. Women, beautiful women, pert and fit women as far as his eyes could see. _Jeez, I must be in heaven or somethin'. _He thought to himself. Yeah, there were plenty of men around as well, but he didn't even register most of them as he glared at the women, their endowments, their voluptuousness. He felt the remnants of his old libido rise again and he was immediately consumed with the idea of getting T & A. _I guess old habits really do die hard. _He laughed as he sauntered over to a group of women who stood talking to one another.

He made them laugh, he charmed them, and seemed to be succeeding at flirting when a tall, black-haired guy suddenly pushed Gojyo out of the mass of women. Gojyo looked the figure over, measuring his strength. He had long, jet-black hair that came down to his back and was obviously heavily treated; his lithe figure was covered by suntanned skin. What was most noticeable to Gojyo was the color, and shape, of his eyes. They were golden and fierce eyes that glowed with a lecherous glint. It seemed that the adjective befit the man because he obviously was hitting on every girl in the group.

"Yo," Gojyo said putting his arm on the guy's shoulder, "didn't anyone ever teach you it isn't nice to butt-in on other people's conversation?"

The guy turned around looking straight at Gojyo; the lecherous glare vanished instantly and became cold, almost threatening. "Yo, no offense, but I don't talk to dudes." He said as he shrugged Gojyo's arm away and turned back to the girls. Gojyo looked at him a little longer reminded, shockingly, of himself; he smirked and walked away.

More than two days seemed to pass as he was told everything he could and could not do during the tournament. He didn't really care, the rules were simple: as long as you were on a battlefield, there were no limits on fighting tactics, strategies, or weapons; as long as you were not on a battlefield, you could not fight under any circumstances. Everything else was simply a restatement of the same thing just in different ways. He wasn't the only one in the room. There were about seven others who, Gojyo guessed, may have been added because of him. He didn't really look at any of them, but thought he recognized a few. At the end of the third day—coincidentally, the end of the orientation—he left without so much as a word to anyone. He walked into his room and noticed a piece of black parchment on the floor.

Your first battle mission has been decided, you will report to the Eastern Sea wing upon acquisition of this document. Come with all weapons you feel you will need.

He read it, then threw the parchment away in a balled-up crumple. Grabbing his shakujou, he walked out of the room and straight to where he was supposed to go. He was directed onto a magic circle and transported to his first battle mission. Gojyo hoped that his opponent would be that jerk from the other day—he had a credo to keep.

Goku, receiving the same document headed straight for the Eastern Sea Wing with a sense of nervousness. He had found a place where he could practice and had tried to make a few friends there; but everyone seemed too apprehensive to be amicable. He stifled his feelings of loneliness with a sense of determination that he would win his first battle mission and go on to win the entire tournament.

Author's Note: Excited? (Well maybe not so much) In any case, thank you for reading—again. Please feel free to send me reviews, I really want to know what you think about the story as they progress. I will try to write and update as often as possible, but it may be difficult around the time school starts. So! If you want to be updated on the newest chapters make this a favorite! laughs I'm just kidding (unless you do want to) but I do look forward to your reviews.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Battle!

_All disclaimers apply._

The wind rushed with an ominous howl through the area and the sea appeared anxious—as if it too was a competitor in the tournament. The air smelled heavily of rain. Goku stood on the sandy beach and looked towards the sea. It was as if it led nowhere; as if—if you were to sail straight into the horizon—you would continue to sail forever and not see another piece of land. The beach itself was rather large and completely empty save Goku himself. At the edge of the beach opposite the sea was a thin contingent of palm trees and thick shrubs that formed a sort of barrier separating the beach Goku was on from whatever was behind it. Goku walked towards the forest careful and attentive listening for any movement around him.

Gojyo sat on a cliff overlooking the beach his shakujou lying in his lap. The wind howled and the sky foretold of a storm that could possibly make survival even harder. He knew that he was an open target for any long-ranged attacks, but continued to sit thinking a better area that would allow him to find enemies quickly. He had already seen one person walk into the trees below him and thought he recognized him. He got up and walked down to the base of the cliff. The trees and shrubs were longer than they were wide; in fact, Gojyo estimated that whoever walked in from the beach would come through within a minute.

He stood off towards the center of the cliff's base where he knew he could better his chances at a sneak attack and waited. Just as he had thought, within seconds he heard the rustling of the shrubs being pushed aside. A figure emerged soon and Gojyo launched the crescent blade of his shakujou forward.

As soon as Goku had emerged from the foliage he saw the glint of light reflected off a metallic object. He saw it was a weapon aimed directly at him. He sidestepped the attack easily but became worried. He knew the crescent shape of the weapon, as well as the chain connecting it. He followed the chain to its origin behind a cliff and noticed the length. His eyes shone brighter than would have been if someone had stuck the light of the sun behind his eyes. Running the length of the chain he dodged out of the curving strike of the familiar shakujou and ran to its origin. The first thing he saw was the hair—it reminded him of when they had first met and he thought that his hair would be like fire—next, he noticed the eyes that were of the same color.

"Sha Gojyo!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

His attack had missed; he could tell by the lack of tightening in the chain. What was more, he heard his name called close not too long after. He noticed the figure that stood before him now. The familiar diadem, the golden eyes, that goofy look on his face.

"Well I'll be damned; if it isn't everyone's favorite little monkey!" He laughed drawing the chain of his shakujou back in.

Goku was beside himself with joy, and relief. He ran straight to Gojyo and tackled him playfully.

"Ack! Get off me!" Gojyo screamed.

"I can' believe you're here, Gojyo!" Goku replied. "What are ya' doin' here anyways?"

"Get off me and I'll tell ya'" Goku stood up brushing the dirt from the white tunic he was wearing. "Why are you wearing that?"

"I don' know. I thought we had to." Goku answered. He noticed, though, that Gojyo still had his normal clothes on and felt a bit embarrassed for wearing the tunic.

"Well, you look stupid in those. Not that you already aren't, but you look even dumber than usual." Gojyo said standing on his feet and wiping dirt away from himself as well.

The reunion was cut short and Gojyo heard more rustling of the shrubs and Goku sensed another presence. Out emerged a man, dressed in an oddly colored ring mail; he had long, blue hair that flowed freely from the helm of his armor and carried a very large broadsword that was almost as tall as him at about six feet. Soon after, another figure emerged; this time, the figure was a shorter male that carried a rapier in each hand and wore less bulky armor than his partner. They walked throughout the clearing looking about for Goku and Gojyo.

"What's this; it looks like some people are partnering up. Wha'd' ya' say we do the same, Goku?"

Goku needn't be told twice. He smiled greatly and called the "big guy with the sword".

"You know what they say, Goku. He's got a big sword 'cuz he's tryin' to compensate for somethin' else." Gojyo laughed as he ran out into the clearing and challenged the smaller combatant. "Oi! You. Little dweeb with the two swords! Bring it on little man!" he taunted.

Goku ran up the cliff hoping to surprise the larger opponent. He made himself level with his adversary and jumped down from the edge. Unfortunately, the armored enemy noticed him approaching and swung his great blade horizontally at Goku. Goku watched the blade's motion as he came nearer the imposing strike. As he reached the area he was able to deftly place his free hand on the broad side of the sword and flipped over the swing, and the wielder, and landed softly on the sand behind him. He stabbed at him the Nyoi-Bo and a piercing ring echoed into the distance. Looking back, Goku saw that he had hit his target, but the armor was too thick and it absorbed the weight of the attack. This was going to be a bit harder than fighting crazed youkai for sure! The opponent's eyes glowed behind the helm as he struck again. Goku realized after he dodged the second attack that he had a major advantage as well—his opponent was too slow to be able to touch Goku at all. He set his sights on finding a weakness while dodging from the attacks attempted by the warrior.

Gojyo was having no major trouble dealing with his foe whose "quick" stabs had virtually no aim. He used the staff end of his shakujou to attack—as if it were a simple rod. As soon as he got an opening he moved in for a deft strike. He attacked the foe's left leg, catching off guard and weakened, and did the same to the right; then, centering the end of his shakujou directly underneath the man he swung up with a large amount of force. The force was so great that it completely projected the poor guy into the air (incapacitated with pain). Gojyo left no open quarters for the challenger. Throwing out the blade-end towards him, he wrapped him in the chains and the crescent blade's deadly embrace and swung him around in large circles. Finally, he pulled the end down hard bringing the merry-go-round-of-death to a sudden meteor-crash that ended in the complete and utter annihilation of the enemy.

Gojyo walked over to the destroyed body and looked at the mangled body and the blood that had splattered everywhere. "Sorry, guy, you were in my way." The body exploded and a magic circle appeared.

Goku had found the weakness he needed. It was a good thing, as he was beginning to get bored with the adversary. As expected, he had traded speed and agility for power—but he was cheated in the trade, because Goku still overpowered him; what's more, his armor was so thick and heavy that he barely moved his feet. In the course of fighting, the attacker made the mistake of attempting another horizontal strike and Goku managed to get behind him and pull his striking hand further back against his knee effectively breaking it. Ambidexterity would have it, that he was able to use his other arm with about as much efficiency.

The weakness was more obvious than Goku had actually hoped it would be: it was a plain, white crystal that enchanted the armor making it invulnerable. The crystal was in the center of the chest cavity and was easy to break. Without this protection, the armor was about as resistant to Goku's attacks as a wet paper bag. Dealing the final blow, Goku laughed amicably and said "Game over". Just as in Gojyo's case, the body exploded and a magic circle took its place.

They both stepped into the circles and were transported from the area. However, instead of being put back at the main base, they found themselves further out into the ocean. Gojyo looked towards his left and saw the island they had just left. Now they were standing on harsh collections of rocks, about twenty meters in length and width, which jutted dangerously from the ocean floor. The rock's surface was smooth—wet with the rushing waves of seawater—so much that it was dangerous to move at anything above a brisk walk. On one of the rocks sat a being, with scaly, purple skin that boasted spikes—probably poisonous—sat in a meditative pose. Sensing their arrival, the being stood up and brandished a long, silver axe. It stood on two muscular, yet lithe legs and webbed feet. Its torso held rows of gills that fluttered in the growing winds.

"I am Raijiin." It stated coolly in a monotonous tone.

Goku was surprised. This was the first time anyone aside from that girl—Ayanna—that bothered to state his or her name. "I'm Goku." He fluttered.

"It doesn't matter; I just wanted you to know who it was that killed you. So that my name will be told to your gods." Raijiin replied.

"Then save me the trouble of stating mine, 'cuz I don't care who you serve." Gojyo laughed.

Goku tried to rush at him, but slipped suddenly on the wet rocks. "Gah!" he cried as he fell off and was barely able to grab onto another rock. He felt the stinging pain and saw blood emanate from the hand that clung to the rock. _This is gonna be hard. _Goku thought.

"Your friend is a fool." Raijiin stated walking towards them.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Gojyo said, then attacked. The crescent blade flew at a blinding speed, but Raijiin dodged it effortlessly and continued his slow gait. Gojyo, undaunted, but pissed that his blade missed again, pulled the chain around so that it would trap his foe. The chain encircled Raijiin, but he let it happen; and as soon as it had completely wrapped around him, he jumped into the brisk seawater. Gojyo was taken with him and closed his eyes against the harsh slap of waves.

As that had happened, Goku finally managed to get up and see Gojyo enter the water. He looked on hoping to see where he could jump in, but before he could a flash of lightning struck inches away from him. Another figure, enshrouded by electrical energy, stood brandishing sharp claws. The figure was that of a woman in clothes that hung close to her body, yet covered everything from her clavicle down.

"Well now, I see I do get another fight after all." She sighed noncommittally.

"I…uh, don't have time for you!" his voice grew with his regained composure. He promised himself he would be careful on the rocks; the stinging in his hand warned him to stick to his word.

The water was thick and murky for Gojyo and he knew his opponent had the upper hand here. _I guess both of us were stupid. _He thought to himself. He watched the chain of his shakujou float upwards and the blade glinted faintly in the dull light. He thought of the situation more carefully: his opponent was an amphibious biped that was way better suited in the water than he was. Gojyo was working on a limited supply of air, whereas his opponent had gills and could breathe under water. His weapon was considerably weaker due to its long-ranged effectiveness and the light weight of the blade; his opponent had a silver axe, deadly on land and in the water.

He saw a blur of purple run past him on his right. _Crap! I'm screwed. _He thought.

Author's Note: Wow, I have been getting a lot of hits…but not many reviews. I promise I won't bite. I really would like to hear that my readers are _enjoying _reading my fanfic. Don't be afraid to send me a review, or put this as a favorite to be notified of the latest updates.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Captives

_All disclaimers apply._

For once, Goku had trouble keeping up with an opponent's speed. The assailant moved as quickly as lightning and attacked just as fiercely. The aura around her was tangible electrical energy—in other words: Goku couldn't touch her directly without incurring damage.

She came at him again clawing wildly at his face. He moved to his right as fast as he could, but before he could regain proper footing she was there again. Even when he was able to regain his composure, he still couldn't attack. He needed a plan, but didn't know what.

"Just give up and die, already." The woman taunted flailing wildly at his legs.

Gojyo managed to block another attack from the creature as it flew past him. He was struggling to reach the surface and get more air, but the creature continued to pursue him at every turn. He could see well enough to tell he was close to the rock formations he had been carried from due to his own careless mistake.

He swam furiously towards the light of the sun and only barely was able to catch his enemy swinging his axe. The one thing that Gojyo had going for him in this struggle was that the axe was still slowed in the water. As long as it didn't touch him he would be okay. He climbed and finally reached the surface. Gulping in fresh air, he looked around for a way to get onto the rock formation and saw Goku dealing with another enemy. _Tch. Figures the monkey would be busy too. _Gojyo thought. He swam around the rock face and climbed onto a low collection of rocks.

Goku caught sight of something emerging from the water and climbing onto the rocks; the flash of red hair told him it was Gojyo, but that didn't help much because he soon saw purple swimming after it.

Returning to his own problem he managed to see her running at him again. He sidestepped quickly, and went for a leg sweep attack with his Nyoi-Bo supporting his attacking leg. His attack landed, but the electric energy traveled down the length of his Bo and inflicted pain on him.

"What's the matter, Kappa? Having trouble squaring off with a fish?" he said to Gojyo who had climbed up next to him.

"First off, he's a fish-man! Second, you try fighting with something with a big axe underwater!" Gojyo thought it funny that Goku would refer to him as a kappa here off all places and then the idea struck him.

Goku was held a serious note in his joke to Gojyo because he had remembered the other opponent and caught the beginnings of a plan.

"Let's switch!" they both said knowingly. They switched places with Gojyo facing the woman and Goku facing the sea creature, which had since jumped up onto the area.

The winds grew into fierce gales and ripped into the contestants. They grew stronger and stronger until they literally ripped the wind out of them. Each one of the combatants looked around confusedly as giant water spouts erupted around the rocks and virtually sealed them in. Goku and Gojyo acted, quickly throwing off this sudden change of terrain.

"Nyoi-Bo!" Goku cried turning it into its sansekkon form and hooking the sea creature. Gojyo stretched the chain around the woman and held on with both hands. Before either opponent could react, Gojyo and Goku swung them into each other, and then into the waterspouts. They had originally planned to throw them further off into the ocean itself; but with the waterspouts sealing them in an aquatic barrier the simply got caught in the funneling drifts.

Both adversaries cried out in pain as both were electrocuted. Goku ran to the sea creature's discarded axe and threw it into the waterspout they were trapped in. It accelerated quickly and soon caught up, and sliced through both. Soon the waterspout was tainted with the blood of both that rushed into the water and left them instantly dead.

The waterspouts died down, and so did the wind. As quickly as they had come, the weather cleared and the sun shone once again. Soon magic circles appeared along with two pendants: one of gold that had the picture of a mountain engraved on it, and one of red, with flames engraved on it. They both emanated a magical light.

"I guess we get prizes when we win." Goku said picking up the gold pendant and putting it on.

"Hold on, Goku! You don't know what those do; at least, don't put it on yet." Gojyo said picking up the other on.

They walked into the magic circles holding the acquired accessories and disappeared from the island surrounded now by bloody saltwater.

They walked off towards their own rooms deciding to meet each other in the communal cafeteria. Goku went straight to his room and began changing into his old clothes. He felt much more comfortable in them than the white tunic, but he noticed something different about them: they smelled different and felt different and looked different—not dramatically, but very subtly.

"I took your old clothes and made you those. I got everything, except those horns, or whatever, that were on the shoulders; so I took them from your old ones and put them on this one." Ayanna said opening his door suddenly.

Goku jumped and moved to cover his front, as he didn't quite have his pants on at the time. "What're you doin'!" he cried.

Ayanna laughed her emerald eyes shining with amusement. "Don't worry; you don't have anything I haven't already seen."

Goku gave her a puzzled and embarrassed look as he stepped into his underwear and pants. "What's that s'pose to mean?" he asked.

"It means I've been living with seven brothers, five of which are younger than me. Where I come from, the older sister takes care of the younger siblings, so I know what it looks like already." This made Goku turn bright red blushing.

"Oh, well, uh—you said you took my old clothes? Why'd you make these then?"

"I brought a lot of fabric from my world, in case I needed more clothes, but I had way too much extra."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Now Ayanna blushed, "I wanted to. Do I need another reason? 'Cause I just said I had too much extra."

"Well, thanks a lot." Goku said smiling amicably. "Oh, yeah!" he said searching the tunic for the pendant he got from his previous battle. "Do you know what this is?"

She looked at it, and her eyes grew big and brightened. "Where'd you get that! Nevermind, I already know. It's an element crystal."

"What? Does it do anything?" Goku said remembering the forest where he saw Ayanna concentrate a ball of energy from her pendant.

"Yeah it does! Didn't they tell you at that orientation?" Goku's blank expression told her no. She sighed, "Every battle gives you a different item if you win depending on the opponent and the method used to kill them—that tells me that you must have killed your opponents with an elemental attack. Do you know any magic spells?" Goku shook his head in the negative. "Every pendant controls a different kind of element, the picture engraved on it tells what element that is; as to the elements, even I don't know them all. I guess different worlds have different elements because I have seen at least thirteen different pendants so far.

"If you get a pendant that has elemental properties engraved on it, you will be able to control the element during your battles, but they can be broken. They are made as an unfair advantage to the winners of battles, because sometimes, the prizes don't give anything. Like that scroll you got the first time." Goku had completely forgotten about the scroll and had assumed it to have been taken away. "It was blank. A false ability with nothing on it would have been the death of many dumber fighters.

They do that because they enjoy watching convicts who think they have a secret weapon go in blindly. It adds a game of chance on behalf of the watchers."

"Wait a minute." Goku said suddenly. "You just said convict, what are you talkin' about?"

Gojyo burst into the room with a jovial air screaming, "Oi! Monkey, where the hell are ya'!"

"Jeez, Kappa! How can you jus' barge into my room like that!" Goku cried jumping towards him.

"Nevermind that, we're leavin'." He said pushing Goku away.

"What?" Goku and Ayanna said simultaneously.

"Impossible! No one can just leave!" Ayanna said defensively.

"Well, we're gonna. I just talked to a friend of mine and she told me that this whole tourney's a setup."

"What, how?" Goku asked looking at Gojyo, then Ayanna, then back to Gojyo.

"Those stupid things that called themselves gods are just a bunch of old pricks that are using us for their own entertainment."

"Who is this friend that told you all of this?" Ayanna asked.

"None of your business, princess." He retorted with a sly smile. "Wait a minute, what were you doin' in here, monkey? Did I screw up an intimate moment?" he joked.

Ayanna blushed furiously, and Goku became enraged and cried, "It's not like that you perverted kappa!"

"It's alright, boyo! I'll let you have some fun; but when you're done we're leavin'." Gojyo laughed as he sauntered out the door.

Under his breath Goku muttered about Gojyo being a stupid cockroach as he returned to face Ayanna. He knew Gojyo was kidding, and in his own way was avoiding Ayanna, but he didn't have to make it so embarrassing! "Sorry, about him. He's like that sometimes." Goku apologized.

"You two seem close; are you related?" she asked.

"Wha'! Ta' him? No way! Well…sorta." He stammered. "We've known each other for a long time, that's all."

"I'm like that with my oldest brother…anyway, you guys can't leave?"

"Why not?"

"They won't let you. As soon as you killed that guy you became their captive. They never let captives leave, or live."

"Well then what're they gonna do with the winners of the tournament?"

She chuckled a little before replying, "Why, they'll kill them! They don't let anyone live after the tournament!"

Goku suddenly understood why everyone was so apprehensive—no matter what you did, you were going to die. Why even bother if you were just going to die. Goku couldn't help but wonder about that. "Why do we fight then?"

"To entertain them. And as an added bonus, if you lose in this tournament…" her voice dimmed and wavered as she spoke "they destroy your home planet".

Gojyo waited outside Goku's room and listened at the door. What he heard had been similar to what Camilla—the girl he met before he was taken into this tournament—had said. She had faltered, though, when she spoke of the destruction of her planet. He replayed the entire conversation in his head.

They had found each other not too long after Gojyo met with the black-haired prick. She seemed happy to see him, almost as if she had been expecting him. Over the course of days they became close—extremely close. She refused to simply succumb to Gojyo's charm and sleep with him, she made him work for it. It made Gojyo angry, at first, but he soon thought of her false advances as teasers that would make it better once it really happened. She was reviving his sexual drive.

After his first mission he came into his room to find her languidly sprawled out on his bed. She wore a red-satin dress that complimented the curves of her body and revealed a lot. He knew this game, so he acted as if he didn't notice. She stood in front of him and moved into his body staring into his eyes intently. "How did it go?" she asked as she put her arms around his shoulders pulling him in closer.

He placed his hands on her hips and drew her body as close to his as possible "It's obvious I won, what else did you expect?"

She just laughed. "What did you get?"

"A red pendant. Wanna tell me what it is?"

"You're going to die." She retorted swiftly releasing him and pulling herself away.

"Tch, figures. You segue to that! Of all things to get blue-balls over, it's the fact that someone wants me dead? Babe, that's not news." He sighed.

"No, I mean no matter what you do, you're going to die—unless you leave now."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"I thought maybe you wouldn't last, at first; then I didn't care…"

"And now you do?"

"I like you…I don't want you to go through the same things I did."

From there what Camilla and Ayanna said ran at parallels. What he remembered most was how she began to cry as she told him how her planet was destroyed by the "gods" of the tournament. How she had been spared only because she bargained to be their slave. Most of all, she told Gojyo that she planned to defeat them and destroy them. _But if what this little girl says is right, then we can't leave anyway…so we may as well help her defeat them. _Gojyo thought to himself. He walked off looking for Camilla knowing she would most likely be in the cafeteria flirting with the guys. It seemed he had found his match sexually—and he liked it a lot.

Goku found himself holding Ayanna who was still crying. She smelled sweet—still of herbs, but of delicious, sweet-smelling ones. He thought of the forest he was in when they first met. He thought of his leaving Sanzo and Hakkai. He thought about the journey they had made to Shangri-La and all the people and youkai that had died. He thought of Kougaiji, Dokugakuji, and Yaone. Then he imagined how it would feel to lose them in the blink of an eye—to see Sanzo killed because of him. Tears welled up in his eyes as well.

"I'm not gonna run." He said softly to Ayanna. She looked up at him, her wet eyes flaring with emotion.

"What?" she asked wiping tears from her eyes.

"I'm gonna stay an' fight. I'm gonna beat those jerks until they beg for mercy! I wont let them hurt anyone!"

Author's Note: I know I probably should have been putting more of these in the other chapters, but I was in such a daze at writing this that I completely forgot. Please, if you like this fanfic; or would like to send me suggestions as to what should happen next, don't be afraid to send me a review I would like to make an apology on my frequent changes to the story itself. I had to change its rating to a higher level to achieve a bit of writing freedom with the battle scenes—and other places in Gojyo's side of the story—but nothing too vulgar.

Also, most importantly, I would like to thank you all for reading this fanfiction. I hope you are enjoying it as it progresses. What will happen to Goku and Gojyo? Should Camilla and Ayanna become involved as love interests or as partners to our heroes? Let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Reminisce

_All disclaimers apply._

It was a beautiful winter day. The sky was crisp and cold, but there were no clouds in the air, leaving the sun to shine its warm, inviting rays on the land. Ayanna stood before her parents soaked in sweat from running. She was, at the time, five years old. She listened intently to what the adults were saying about her, even though she didn't understand all of what they were saying.

"She's incredibly strong for her age, don't you think Calai?" her father had said to her mother.

"It may be nothing, all children are full of energy, Raido." She had answered meekly.

"Still, I think they will be looking for her pretty soon, are you sure we shouldn't just leave her with them?"

"What are you saying? I will not leave my daughter to be placed into the hands of Death!" Calai exclaimed standing between Ayanna and her Raido.

"They will take her anyway! She has a gift, a _dyrsaizen _already formed! If we hold her back, they will just run after us until we die. Then they will take her anyway, and she will be left without her true parents." Ayanna could tell they were talking about her and she understood why.

She remembered the story that the elderly woman always told to the children who were too young to enter school. She recited it in her head: The goddess Laeya was once a human with a special _dyrsaizen_—special skills unique to a person's spirit_—_that allowed her to grow stronger than all the men of the land. She set out on a journey to teach the world how to live with nature and to release their own _dyrsaizen _and ascend into higher beings. It is said that when she died she became a goddess and would bless a girl with tremendous powers at birth. That girl came every thousand years. According to the calendars the _maizors_—druids—constructed, a thousand years had passed since the last Chosen had been born. From there, Ayanna knew no more.

"I suppose you are right…but…" tears began to form at her mother's eyes even while her voice faltered.

"It is okay, she will be alright." Raido consoled. "'We all must die at sometime; and in that time, the goddess will shine her light upon our souls and we shall ascend along with her.'"

For the next eleven years Ayanna was trained in the Holy Scriptures as well as bows, magic, and healing arts. Her parents and siblings were allowed to stay with her just outside the temple where she studied. She excelled tremendously and completed her training as expected. Not once had she ever questioned why. That is, until it came time for her to leave.

She was told that she must leave—and in event, may never return. She asked why and the _maizors _declined to answer. She asked again, more forcefully, and they talked. They told her the story of Laeya, the part that no one else knew.

Laeya was born in the deepest regions of the Imagegori Forests. The forest was rumored to be the dwelling place of many spirits from other realms—as well as a race of people that could talk to those spirits. She, Laeya, was an outcast at a young age. She, unlike the others of her clan, could not only talk to those spirits, but also summon them. At the age of three, she had been seen playing with ghosts. At seven, she summoned a ghost, a beast more like, with two rows of sharp teeth and green, mesmerizing eyes. It soon became her guardian and followed her wherever she went.

Seeing this as an ill omen, the clansmen chased her away from the village and left her to survive in the treacherous depths of the Imagegori Forest. There, she learned to live from what nature provided and summoned spirits of magicians and teachers to help her survive. On her sixteenth birthday she left the woods to travel the world honing her skills and teaching others how to release "the power of the spirit".

"Well, then why am I leaving?" Ayanna had asked. Nothing they said made sense. The Imagegori Forest no longer existed—in fact, it was a fairy-tale place like a floating castle: there was no proof it actually existed. The questions reeled in her mind. But the _maizors _refused to say anymore saying that Ayanna had become too forceful in her inquiry. She caught on quickly, someone was lying. She left holding an indignant feeling rise from within—she hated people who lied about important things.

Resorting to her magic and her _dyrsaizen _she tried to summon a spirit herself. She found it incredibly easy to reach the spirit-world, but her strength was nowhere near close enough to complete the summoning. She practiced for days on end as she walked looking for food, shelter, and answers.

After a couple months she had gained enough experience to summon small creatures: animals and insects that had no souls. Soon after that, she summoned her first full spirit. After a while, she managed to teach herself complete summoning techniques that were said to be lost to the world.

With determination she tried to summon Laeya herself. Nothing came. She tried again: still nothing. It seemed to her that Laeya should have appeared—unless she had never died. She began to summon things out of desperation—things that were alive during the time Laeya was alive, therefore knew of her. One day she found what she needed.

"Yeah I know Laeya." The spirit had said. It was the spirit of a little boy, at least four years younger than Ayanna. He had fiery, red hair and green, fierce eyes.

"How do you know her? She isn't dead." she replied.

"I was there. I was beside her at all times. She was…my sister."

"Will you tell me about her?" she asked.

"No one liked Laeya. She was always doing things better than everyone else. In that time, the men especially hated her. She could do lots of things the other people couldn't. She even learned how to summon real creatures, not just spirits."

"Summoning real creatures?"

"Yeah, that's why they exiled her. Because she was too strong. No one likes being outdone, especially by a girl. She was…sixteen at the time. I was twelve, so I went with her. Nobody knew I went, though, because I snuck out on my own. You know where we lived before?"

"The Imagegori Forest?"

"Yeah, except, no one in the forest actually called it by that name, it was just Forest Haven to us. We were forest people, you know."

"Yeah, I know…" Ayanna sighed.

"Problem was, something happened that wasn't supposed to. We were attacked by monsters and then assassins from the village tried to kill her, so I stopped them. I was killed in the fight; but I was okay, my big sis just summoned me back and put me in her amulet."

"So that's why you're still twelve years old."

"Yup! Anyway, after that she went around the world looking for a way to revive me completely and she wanted to find out where the monsters came from. She spent six years looking until one day she found this weird portal thing on the ground. It sucked us in and in the next moment we were in another dimension."

"Wait, wait. So she didn't go around teaching people about _dyrsaizen_?"

"That, no way! Everyone knew about that already, she just had a better way of bringing it out. Before, they all used to put themselves under a lot of stress. They thought that desperation would bring it out. My sis, though, she knew that by just concentrating and meditating the _dyrsaizen _would emerge on its own. That's part of why she was so strong.

"After we went into the other dimension she fought a lot of different entities from different universes. She always won, though. She even beat this one guy that had six arms and used every element to attack.

"Thing is, when she won, the people that made her fight told her that she could have whatever she wanted in return. She asked for a way to give me a body and they did."

"So what happened?"

"They…killed…her and made her body into a new vessel for me. But the spirit signatures didn't match so the body didn't hold me for very long—like five minutes. After that, they destroyed the Forest Haven. Burned it to the ground and kept every person inside. I think they turned them all into statues when they did it."

Ayanna was appalled that they did such a thing. The boy went away after that and she wrote down his name hoping to thank him later, his name was Kouga.

She summoned other spirits and learned of the tournament. How long it had been going on, and the apparent terms of the ordeals. She realized what the conversation her mother and father had was really about. She understood, suddenly why the _maizors _refused to tell her much of anything—they had to send her into the tournament in order to preserve the existence of their world. She had been told that Laeya's win didn't ensure the safety of her planet. In fact, the win meant nothing at all. Everyone in that tournament had to die. It was a matter of her ancestors agreeing to send in a sacrifice in order to preserve their own lives. The epiphany struck her like a hot iron knife: she was a sacrifice.

Camilla sat in the corner of her room trying to remember—and trying to forget. She felt a longing in her heart that she could quite place, she just knew that she was tired of being here. Her job was simple: she had to kill everyone in her path. In every battle, in every mission, everyone must die.

She couldn't remember anything about her past. She didn't remember having a childhood, or having a family. She didn't know where she was from, or what she went through in life. Sometimes she would have a nightmare in which she hears a blood curdling scream followed by rivulets of blood—all of it her own. The rivulets converged and made a thick pool that transformed into a sort of looking glass. In it, she could see herself, but it wasn't herself entirely. She saw a beautiful and innocent woman with ice-blue hair and silver-gray eyes. A sharp contrast to that of her red eyes and black hair. (Maybe that is why I like the half-breed so much?) The girl was sad, extremely hurt, and was looking for her brother. She would say that the blood on her hands was of her brother, but no boy ever showed his face. Suddenly, she would be pulled into the reflection and consumed by darkness. She always awoke with a rapid heartbeat and was soaked in sweat.

Of the things she could remember, she always reflected on those she had killed. She wondered what their lives were like: whether or not they had families, what kind of people they did, what they did to become enshrouded in this most dangerous game. Deep within her she hurt whenever she killed someone; but she had no choice. She had to follow what her masters told her to do. She didn't even remember when or how she became to come into service to them. It was better not to ask—that much was apparent—but how could she not help but wonder.

She sat in the corner of her room. She hated her room. It was small and sparsely filled. The walls were painted an odd type of red so that the light that shone inward was red and hazy. No one was allowed in here without her consent. She could roam around as much as she wanted, but no one could enter here. The only time she let others in was when she was to kill them. The room was cursed for all except her…she didn't know why she was exempt. It instantaneously absorbed the life force of those who entered and the body would disintegrate before her eyes. The room itself was dull. She had nothing to do in there but look at herself in the mirror and prepare poisons and combat equipment. _How many times have I seen myself in that mirror? _She wondered. _Am I more of a captive than the others? _

Author's note: I wanted to devote a short chapter to explain a little background of our two female characters. I thank you all, once again, for reading my fanfic. However, I would like to state that I may not be posting as often as I would like to. What with school starting for me I'm going to have a lot on my plate; but don't worry, I will update! Please, don't be afraid to send me comments or suggestions. Thank you and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Entourage

_All disclaimers apply._

Another battle mission.

Goku looked at the small parchment with contempt. He now knew what was going on, and he resented the very thought of it. He knew that he couldn't fight them right now; he didn't even know where they were. It seemed that the "gods" made it a point to never show themselves to the contestants. _I wonder why. _He thought bitterly. He walked with his Nyoi-Bo gripped tightly in his hand. His face wore an expression of pure determination and his golden eyes reflected his zeal. "I'm gonna win; and I'm gonna kill you all."

Gojyo sat watching Camilla. He loved looking at her as she moved with an angelic grace across the floor. He still held the note in his hand telling him of his next battle mission. Of course, she had read it, and proclaimed that she would go with him. _All the problems of a relationship and none of the perks. _He thought to himself chuckling.

He saw the black-haired letch pass him by. By this time, he was drowning in a sea of women throwing his charm at them like confetti. He caught sight of Gojyo as he passed by the table and gave him a cold, deadly glare. As if defiant, he mouthed a kiss to the guy and as soon as he passed he gripped his weapon close. "I am definitely making a move just for you." Gojyo didn't know why he hated the guy so much. Had things been different, he would have been the same exact way around the women. For some reason he thought of the blond that he left the day he was caught up in this tournament.

"I'm ready when you are." Camilla said matter-of-factly crossing over to where he sat.

"Telling your boyfriends not to wait up for you? Why do they get special treatment?" he quipped.

"Would you rather I told you to keep yourself busy until I got back?"

"Heh, I might get more action that way." After this remark he stood and shouldered his shakujou. They walked towards their destination, Gojyo in his normal clothes, and Camilla in a general kunoichi outfit.

Ayanna sat in her room sewing. She was sewing a simple headband for herself and fashioned it so that it slightly resembled Goku's diadem. _I wonder if it has any magical properties. _She thought. She was finishing the final threads when a knock sounded at her door and a piece of paper was slipped under the door. She was a little nervous about entering another mission. The last one she had put her with Goku. She couldn't help but admire him. He didn't look at her with hostility, more like interest. He had an innocence about him that exited her. Apart from that, she knew little—other than the fact that she wanted to know more.

The last thread was sewed in and she drew her hair back and tied the headband in place. She said a few words of incantation and blessed the headband. "At least mine will have some healing powers" she said as she opened the letter and grabbed her things. Her nervousness grew to excitement as she moved towards her destination.

The area was dank and wet and smelled foul. To the left was a vertical climb of red brick slightly discolored by the absence of light. To the right was a large metallic dumpster that had refuse pouring out of the top. Behind it was another vertical climb of bricks; but this one was laced with metal stairs and ladders. Straight up, the sun was in its zenith and yet managed to miss the spot Ayanna was in. She looked forward and the narrow passageway emptied into an open street. There was no grass.

Ayanna walked cautiously out of the passageway. Luckily, she was wearing a more conservative outfit that included shoes. The tunic she wore was a greenish-blue and she wore the same emerald earrings. As soon as she emerged he heart fell. People filled the streets and walked briskly from one place to another. No one seemed happy, and at the same time, not many seemed especially hostile. She had no clue who or where the enemy was. She moved into the crowd and followed the flow tense and attentive.

Goku saw a girl immediately. He was just about ready to attack her until he saw Gojyo emerge right behind her. He assumed that this was the friend he mentioned.

"Gojyo! He called from another alley. Gojyo looked up and motioned for him to come over. He ran into the street without really paying attention and heard a deafening horn blare as tires screeched proclaiming the car's sudden stop. Goku ran forward in an attempt to dodge it and became amazed at the others just like it. Traffic stopped immediately and horns filled the air, already rich with the scent of metal and cement.

"Whoa! Look at all the Jeeps!" he shouted. He couldn't restrain his amazement and jumped from car to car looking in at the people driving the cars. "Hey, Jeep-thingy! You have a really shiny color! Turn back into a dragon so I can see what you look like!"

"Oi, Monkey! Get your ass over here, now!" Gojyo shouted. Goku looked up and jumped down from the car and ran to the other side to meet up with Gojyo and the girl.

"Lookee at all th' people like Hakkai! Did you see all those Jeeps! They look so much more different than Jeep.

"Yeah, I saw 'em." He said breezing the question away. "Hey, this is my—uh—friend Camilla." Gojyo said introducing his—uh—love interest.

"Hi!" Goku said smiling broadly, "I'm Goku!"

There was something about this kid—Goku that felt odd to Camilla. "Hi." She had responded tentatively as she tried to place it. He reminded her of someone—someone important—someone close; but she couldn't tell at all. She dismissed it at the moment.

They walked along the sidewalks of the busy street and marveled at the area. Camilla drew a lot of attention from both men and women—both genders analyzing her with different purposes. Suddenly Goku stopped.

"I smell Dumplings! Gojyo, do you smell it?"

"What are we gonna do if we find the place, Goku. It's not like we have any money."

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! I'm HUNGRY!" he said running off following his nose.

"Sorry, he does that sometimes" Gojyo said to Camilla.

"He really doesn't think about things does he? I hope he remembers that this is a battle, someone could just attack him at anytime." She followed him anyway, intrigued.

Goku moved down the street at a paced gait. He brushed past people receiving angry looks and curses. He heard none of them. The luscious smell of food drew him onwards. He found what he was looking for and looked at it. The building was connected to larger ones that stretched further down the street. It held two large windows on either side of the door and the door itself was made of shatterproof glass. A neon sign on the door said "Asian buffet" and another said "Open" and Goku entered uninhibited.

"How the hell are you gonna pay for any food, idiot. I'm not gonna wash dishes for you." Gojyo sighed walking up to him and catching him by the hair. Camilla soon entered after and looked around the small space. There was a faux-fountain in the center of the area and an open doorway that led probably to the actual buffet. The floors were carpeted and lined with seats and tables until a large area, another vestibule, emptied into the center of the restaurant. She walked up to the counter to where the cute, young Asian boy stood. He glanced at her once and took a double take. Her clothes were near skin-tight, yet flexible; still, it was possible to see her endowments without much left to the imagination.

"Hi," she said sauntering languidly towards the kid.

"H-how, may I—uh—help you today?" the kid replied stammering helplessly.

"A couple friends and I were wandering about and found this little place, but I'm afraid we're out of money, and my little brother is terribly hungry." She began to put on as much charm as necessary. _This kid will be easy._ She thought at she flaunted herself a bit.

"Uh, well—I, uh, can see what, uh…" he stammered.

"Gojyo, what is your friend doing? Why is she moving around like that? Does she have to pee or somethin'?" Goku asked loudly.

"SHUT UP, MONKEY!" Gojyo shouted in reply, firmly planting his fist in the center of Goku's scalp.

"Ah! Get off me, cockroach!"

"What the hell? So I'm a cockroach now?"

"Yeah, just look at those stupid cockroach antennas!" Goku shouted pointing at the two stay bands of hair that hung over Gojyo's face.

"Just shut up!" Gojyo replied forcing Goku into a headlock.

"Uh, are they okay?" the boy asked staring past Camilla. He desperately needed to keep his focus off the girl in front of him.

"Yeah, except that they are just too hungry to think straight right now." She replied taking a pleading tone to her voice. She leaned in closer to redirect his attention to her. She stared into his eyes. If he had been a target, that would have been the breaking point she always searched for in men.

"Okay, uh, just go in and sit wherever, I will take care of it." He responded as he squirmed uncomfortably. Neither his body, nor his eyes could stay in one place. He really needed them to go.

"Thank you so much." Camilla laughed and winked. She turned to Goku and Gojyo, "Let's go you guys, food's on me."

The two had been so busy fighting with each other that they didn't follow the rest of her conversation. At her last remark, though, both instantaneously stopped. The fixed themselves as best they could and went into the main eating area.

The boy at the counter immediately called for his lunch break. Another person would take his place. He moved straight to the bathroom awkwardly. Another type of nature was calling, and this was way more urgent.

Ayanna had seen Goku and the red-haired man, Gojyo. She saw them walking with some woman she didn't know and disappear into a building that advertised an Asian buffet. From the smells coming from the building it was a place for eating, but she didn't have anything with which to purchase any. She decided to wait for them outside the building. She sat around looking at the people and cars passing by. They made her feel sick—this entire place made her feel odd. It was as if all magic had died, as if there was no nature at all in this place. She looked for signs of trees, or of some type of vegetation. She always felt more comfortable when she was close to them.

"Hey, little girl, are you lost?" A tall man in a business suit asked walking by. He was in his mid-thirties and already showed signs of graying hair. The strong features of his face bore to her a sense of ill intent.

"No, I'm just waiting for some friends." She replied looking down.

He stopped and came to her. "Really? I can let you wait for them at my apartment." He said trying to pass a smile.

"No, thank you, they won't see me if I'm not here."

"Well, that's okay; you can see this place from my apartment. I have ice cream."

"No, thank you." She said simply. This man was starting to annoy her. She did a quick scan of his heart. He really did have a tainted heart; but he was weak—no magical abilities at all.

"Come on, it will be okay. I even have kids you could play with until your friends come, I'm sure they won't mind. In fact, I can let you use my cell-phone to call your friends and they can come to my apartment too."

"Go away, mister." She said coldly.

He looked at her a little discouraged, them embittered, and left. Under his breath he cursed her saying she was a "bitchy tart, anyway".

Soon after another an older woman passed by. "Are you lost?" she asked.

"No." Ayanna said plainly. This woman had thick and graying hair that was bunched into a knot. Ayanna didn't like the mana-signature coming from this one. It was completely negative, which meant, she invited bad luck.

"Well, a little girl like you shouldn't just sit out here like this. You might get kidnapped and hurt. Then what would your parents do? They would be distraught that such a wonderful girl like you was taken, but then again, it is understandable, you are very pretty; and that headband is so quaint—where did you get it from?"

"I made it."

"Oh, that's wonderful. Although, I'm sure that you may have pricked yourself a few times in the process, I once knew a lady that got tetanus from an old needle she used to sew with. It near killed her before the doctors could do anything."

Ayanna got up and went into the restaurant. People like her breed negative energy from thinking so badly all the time. Being around her made Ayanna even worse and ready to gag. _On my planet, it's more than rare to find someone as negative as the people here. _She thought sadly. She looked at the faux-fountain. The fish in it weren't real, nor was anything else aside from the water. The more she witnessed the things of this planet the more she wished she were back on her own. She had never seen such absurdities. Whole areas man-made, things normally located in natural states fabricated and placed in a building. She looked up and saw Goku. Her heart lit with joy.

"Goku!" She called moving towards the door. An Asian man in his thirties called to her to stop. He moved and stood in her path.

"You have to pay first!"

"No! She's with us!" Goku yelled placing three full plates of food onto their table. He ran to Ayanna his own golden eyes sparkling and convulsively hugged her close. Ayanna blushed, yet hugged him back. His scent was reassuring and soothing. Her previous ailments washed away as he let her go and stared her in the eyes.

"What are ya' doin' here?" Goku asked letting her go. It was a stupid question, but it was a great way to start talking to Ayanna.

"I-I kinda got chased in here." She replied wryly. They sauntered into the dining area talking idly.

Goku and Gojyo filled the table with plates of food—Goku, of course, holding the vast portion of plates. Gojyo ate the food with a bit of a conviction. He never ate at the cafeteria for fear of being poisoned again; so he just stole Goku's provisions when he was at his room. By the end of orientation, Gojyo had single-handedly finished off the remnants of Goku's Dim Sum. Now, he had real food to devour and would get his fill before going back. Goku inhaled the food not stopping even to breath it seemed. He had gotten at least a plate full of everything he could find: Egg Fu Young, General Tao's Chicken, Dumplings, Fried Rice, and Fried Noodles, a plethora of Egg rolls and Spring rolls, Sushi, and Tempura, as well as a number of other things. He didn't stop eating except to glance at the others. His eyes continued to stray towards Ayanna, though. He understood that he really like her. The girls themselves ate moderately. Ayanna tried a bit of everything to get a feel for the food.

"This food lacks any real authenticity." Camilla proclaimed to her. They had been talking as if they were family since Goku had brought her to the table. Now they felt close and at ease with each other.

"Can I get some Sake!" Gojyo asked as he flagged a waitress down.

"I need to see your I.D."

"Look at my face and tell me I'm not legal." Gojyo said throwing his own charm at the girl. Nevertheless, he retrieved his I.D. from his back pocket and handed it to her.

She laughed amicably and returned the I.D. to Gojyo. "You wait here, Mr. Gojyo, I will bring you some Sake."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back gently. "You promise?" he asked strikingly her arm.

She blushed and smiled broadly. "Yes, I'll be right back." She walked off towards the bar to retrieve a bottle and glass for Gojyo. He was going to make sure he enjoyed his time on this place.

"I see that you and K'leil flaunt your charm just the same, Gojyo." Camilla chuckled.

"Who the hell is he? Is he that black-haired idiot?" Gojyo asked angrily

"Why of course."

"No way, babe, I have way more class than him." He laughed.

The waitress soon returned and handed him the Sake, the glass, and a bill. Gojyo looked at her and winked, looked at the bill and winced, then looked at the others.

"$62.99" He stated meekly.

"Give me that." Camilla commanded and snatched it from him.

"Well, I think all of us have eaten enough, shall we go?" She made it sound more like a statement than a question. They all got up and moved towards the counter. Instead of paying, Camilla began talking again. The same kid from before had come back and his face went as white as a sheet, then scarlet red when he saw Camilla approach again.

"Just, gimme the bill." He said looking down.

"Here you go, are you sure there's nothing I can do for you in return?" Camilla asked seductively.

If it were at all possible, he blushed even more but looked at Camilla with a shocked expression unable to answer.

"Last chance; speak up if you want anything." She moved in close. "Maybe you want me, or maybe you want her," she said tilting her head to Ayanna, "or maybe you want me and her?"

That was it for the boy. He closed his eyes in response, held them tight, and fought back the urge to moan. He felt her move close to his eye and whisper seductively. That was it. He felt the world around him spin. He opened his eyes shocked and looking down to the center of his pants.

"Okay, it's your choice." Camilla said drawing back and turning towards the door. The entourage followed her, except Gojyo, who turned to the young victim.

"Yeah, boyo, she does that a lot. Don't take it too personally, you'll get over it." He laughed and then exited.

Outside, the sun was shadowed behind clouds. Ayanna felt the uneasiness come over her again accompanied by another. "You guys," she began stopping them all under a street vendor.

"What is it?" Goku asked.

"Well, normally, aren't there six contestants per battle mission?"

"Yeah," Camilla answered. "But, I don't count, because I'm not actually a part of this battle."

"We can do that?" Ayanna asked. "There isn't anything in the rules that say we can."

"There isn't a rule that says we can't" Gojyo replied.

"I guess you're right. So that means that there are still three contestants out there. There are too many people here, and no one stands out. What are we going to do?"

"The four of us are gonna team up and find the three of them and beat the shit outta them. That's what." Gojyo replied still a little tipsy from the Sake which he still held in his hand. He had managed to sneak the bottle out with them and now he held onto it trying not to drink anymore.

"I don't think you're in a position to fight right now, Gojyo." Camilla said.

"There's still three of us, we can do it!" Goku exclaimed. Ready as ever.

The entourage walked on, allowing time for Gojyo to sober-up while they looked for the other contestants. They exchanged information about each other's home—at least, Goku and Ayanna told each other about their homes. Goku told Ayanna of Hakkai and Sanzo, and of their previous journey to Shangri-La. Ayanna spoke of her parents and siblings and of the temple and some of the legends. Gojyo was to drunk to care and Camilla was sad feeling a void pain her. Goku noticed, and soon, so did Ayanna. They asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing, it's just…I can't remember my past. Quite honestly, hearing you two talk about the people you loved and the lives you lived before you came to this tournament…it makes me sad knowing that I don't have any of those." Tears began to form at her eyes as she talked. "This tournament is all that I know. I don't have any family, and you three are the closest things I have ever had to friends. I have no memories…" she began to cry softly. The gravity of the situation even managed to sober Gojyo who placed a protective arm around her. He held her close showing that he cared.

"It's okay Camilla." Goku consoled. "It doesn't matter so much now if your past isn't there." He remembered how he had been kicked out of heaven and imprisoned in that cave for 500 years. He remembered how he was unable to remember how it happened, or what he had done. Just being able to see the sun, without its rays reaching him. "We can make new memories."

Camilla's eyes widened, still filled with tears. "You're right, we can. Thank you." Camilla realized that she had told about herself, had shown a vulnerability—that she had never done before. She had opened up to people who would have eventually become targets had she left them alone. She wondered what it was about them that made the words come out from her so easily. She moved further into Gojyo's embrace wanting to fill the void in her soul.

An arrow shot from a short distance away. It flew towards Ayanna and Goku stepped into its path to stop it. He caught the arrow and broke it in his hand. The wielder of the bow emerged from an ally. It was K'leil. Shortly after two more figures emerged: a knight in black, and a woman carrying an odd staff.

K'leil stared at Gojyo and Camilla angrily. "So this is what you've been up to, Camilla? Off caressing some half-demon you just met!"

Gojyo looked up with a smirk on his face. "Just the asshole I wanted to see! Lucky you, I'm sober enough to beat you to a pulp"

Author's note: Well, that was a little lengthier than my normal posts. I hope you all are still being entertained. I apologize for the lateness in uploading—I had writer's block for about a week and then it just sort of burst back into shape. Still, please read and review; comments and suggestions welcome.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Inferno

_All disclaimers apply._

"You! Beat me, punk? I don't think so." K'leil said blatantly. He sheathed his bow and walked towards Gojyo and Camilla.

"Why the hell are you with this jerk-off, Camilla? Especially when you can have a handsome stud like me."

"Oh, sorry, did I hurt your feelings?" Camilla answered letting go of Gojyo. "I hate to break it to you, but you're not my type."

"Yeah," Gojyo put in, "she goes for the guy that actually has looks—me." _Shit! _Gojyo was thinking as he said it. _Why does he have to show up now! _In fact, Gojyo was not worried about beating K'leil, even though he could still feel the effects of the Sake. He was actually angry that he wouldn't have the coordination to actually complete any advanced attack strategies.

"Shut up!" K'leil shot at him. "I don't know what she sees in you! You're just a stupid half-demon! I beat you in everything! Looks, strength, EVERYTHING! I shouldn't have to compete with the likes of you!"

Goku noticed the scent of K'leil's breath as he spat out at Gojyo. It wasn't as strong as Sake, but it was a bit more potent than regular beer. He too was drunk. "Hey, Gojyo."

"Huh, what is it, Goku?" Gojyo answered.

"He's drunk too. You can take 'em easy!"

"Yeah, I know. He's definitely gonna pay for that half-demon shit!" as he said this he stepped backwards into his fighting stance. "You guys go an' take care of those other asses he was with."

"Does he always talk like that?" Ayanna asked Goku.

"Yeah, he's jus' worse when he's drunk." He called back running towards K'leil's cronies. He wanted to attack the black knight, but he didn't trust the woman with the staff so he went to attack her first.

"I don't think so!" the knight yelled jumping in the way. He was holding a lance and drove it towards Goku. The attack nearly landed, but Goku managed to sidestep just in time.

"I'll take you on anyway!" Goku smirked getting into his full fighting stance. He jumped at the opponent preparing to land a kick on his left arm. In retaliation, the knight placed the lance against his arm and pressed against the force of Goku's kick. This enemy was much quicker than the one before. Nearby, Goku faintly caught a glimpse of the woman chanting some strange incantations.

While Goku dealt with the knight, Ayanna managed to confront the woman. She still felt odd and didn't know if she would be able to rely on her magic; but when she saw the woman begin incantations she knew she had to help. Even with the pendant, she doubted Goku had enough skill to stand up against magical attacks—but again, she didn't know much about him. She took out her bow and drew an arrow in its string. "Fly true and hit the mark." She whispered to the arrow and released. It soared through the air near soundlessly. The woman, however, stopped her incantation and blocked the arrow.

"Do you think you can take me on, little girl? I eat little sprites like you for breakfast!" The woman laughed with a vile, screeching voice.

"Quiet, witch!" Ayanna yelled drawing another arrow. This one she filled with energy and fired it off. Because of the infusion, it flew faster than the one before and the witch had less luck in dodging the arrow—it had cleanly grazed her left arm before it flew off into the distance. The arrow suddenly turned around in its trajectory and flew into the witch's back, jutting harshly out from her chest.

The witch, at first, looked shocked at the pain of the arrow, but soon, she quickly regained composure and laughed manically. "I'm immortal, you wench! Your arrow won't hurt me no matter how much magic you put in them!"

Ayanna put away her bow and put her quiver of arrows down—there's more than one way to skin a cat.

Gojyo stood poised and ready for an attack and watched K'leil as he got into his own stance. It was weird in that it seemed to stress weight in the legs, making it seemingly difficult for any rotation of motion. Gojyo looked at Camilla as the rays of light shone heavily from above. In that light, she seemed different, not herself, but even more beautiful. She looked at him and smiled.

"Kill him for me, will you?" she asked nonchalantly.

"No problem, but I want a reward when I do." He didn't wait for a reply, he swept at K'leil's feet with his shakujou, but K'leil simply jumped over the sweep. Upon landing, K'leil dove in for an attack. A solid punch landed squarely on Gojyo's face and sent him flying back. He got up undaunted, but angry. He looked down at the broken bottle of Sake, its contents soaking into the concrete of the sidewalk. For the first time he had noticed that a large crowd had gathered and was watching them. A lot of them were chattering and talking amongst themselves and to small devices. He got up quickly and shook off some of the effects of the alcohol. "That was your first, and last, hit. Now it's my turn."

"Bring it on, pansy. I'll kill you no matter what, half-breed."

The crescent blade of the shakujou flew at K'leil, but passed him barely nipping the sleeve of his shirt. K'leil looked at the chain attached to it and followed it to back to Gojyo, who was close enough now to connect a flying knee to K'leil's chest. "I wish you would shut up about the half-breed shit already!" he yelled. He felt an odd stirring within him as he recalled the blade end of his weapon. He remembered that he was wearing the red pendant and wondered if it he could have it activated.

K'leil rose up and took out his bow stringing it directly at Gojyo. "Heh, let's see you play hero, then." He scoffed as he quickly aimed the arrow away into the crowd. He fired the arrow and watched Gojyo dive in to catch the attack. He strung another bow and aimed further away into the crowd.

"What the hell are you doing, you ass! You can't kill these people!"

"Why can't I? They're just a bunch of lesser beings! I am a demon! I am superior to them! What do I care if I kill them like sheep?" he answered. He fired another arrow and this time before Gojyo could even get to the arrow, he strung another and fired it off directly at a little girl clutching her father's hand. The arrow flew and entered cleanly into the girl's heart. The scream was powerful, yet quick. He fired another aiming at the girl's twin brother who had caught his sister and was still registering what happened.

The people began to go wild: most ran off in fear, some gathered around the two dying children and their father, some fought to get closer to the melee. Gojyo still held the last arrow in his hand and looked at the girl and boy, then at K'leil. "This isn't even about the tournament, or about Camilla, is it?"

"What do you know! You're just a stupid inferior being! I hate your kind; you think you can just have the best of both worlds! You're pathetic and worthless."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Gojyo screamed throwing the crescent blade at him. It exploded in a burst of fire as it sailed towards K'leil.

Goku, Ayanna, and their opponents managed to draw themselves from the rush of people going to view Gojyo and K'leil's fight. For some reason, they seemed to not notice Ayanna or the witch casting spells, whereas Goku and the black knight had slowly fallen back into a dark alley. The walls were close together, close enough that the black knight could not effectively use his lance—and therefore discarded it upon learning of the fact.

"You are a clever opponent to have drawn me in here where you thought you would have the advantage." The knight spoke calmly.

"You sound like you're enjoyin' this." Goku said in return.

"I am, indeed, you are a good opponent. No matter the outcome, I will remember you."

"Heh, good. 'Cause I'm lovin' every bit of this." Goku smirked. He ran at the knight again, this time with his Nyoi-Bo in front of him like a battering ram. The knight, however, stepped aside just as Goku was about to reach him. He grabbed Goku by the neck of his shirt and flung him back further into the alley. Goku hit a metal garbage dumpster hard.

"If it is of any help, I have been trained to see attacks like those; you won't get through my defenses with them. It would be better to use advanced moves against me, they will more than likely pierce my armor if I don't see them coming."

Was he helping Goku? Subtle, but, still, enemies don't reveal their weaknesses unless they want to lose. It could have been a trap, but Goku saw that everything he threw at him had not worked at all. It was worth a try.

Goku got up and ran along the sides of the wall to his left. He jumped from the left wall to the right, then from the right to the left. He continued this rising upwards at the same time until he emerged above the roofs of both buildings. He allowed himself to be taken over by gravity. He held himself as vertical as possible in order to lessen air resistance.

"Please, you must…" The black knight said under his breath. Underneath the armor, the person began to cry. "kill me swiftly. Otherwise, I will not…" he didn't allow himself to continue further.

Goku suddenly stopped in his attack and landed on the ground. For some reason, the knight had dropped all guards and seemed to want to die. But why?

"Why did you not complete the attack?" the knight asked not hiding his disappointment.

"I—you stopped fighting back." He answered.

"Does that bother you? I want you to kill me, is that hard for you, then?"

"I just, wanna know why. Don't ya' wanna win?

"Winning in this foul tournament is nothing to me; not without my love, at least." He answered. "We came here together—against our will—and were told that if we didn't fight we would be slaughtered and our planet destroyed."

"It's the same with everyone, so what happened?" Goku asked.

"He, resisted…you must understand that he hates violence, and didn't care much for our world…so they took measures." It didn't disturbed Goku at all that he so blatantly said that his love was a "him"; but at the word "measures" he donned a quizzical facial expression. "After he told them this, they convinced us that, if we didn't fight, we both would suffer in life. They abandoned the idea of death and threatened us with eternal torture. We complied, but, they had made up their minds—they wanted him dead for speaking out. On the first battle mission, they poisoned him and made him go berserk. Then, they had this lady assassin—the "Scarlet Kunoichi" they called her—track down my love and kill him. I don't know what they do with the bodies, but, I was given his promise ring from long ago, and told that if I didn't continue to fight, I would never get to see his body…so, I want you to kill me, so that I might see him again in the afterlife."

Goku was silent for a while. It had occurred to him that maybe the word "convict" meant something entirely to the faux-gods. It seemed, that they found something that everyone was attached to—planets, lovers, life, etc.—and made them shackles to get them to fight. At first, he was free from the weight of losing, but now, he realized that everyone there really had something to lose, including Gojyo, including him.

"Will you help me, please?" the knight asked solemnly.

"Y-yes." Goku answered in the same tone, "But, why didn't you just kill yourself?"

"Of course, they don't let you, in fact, I am glad you drew us in here because now they can't see that I have stopped fighting back."

"Okay…" Goku sighed. He jumped up into the air with his Nyoi-Bo ready and slammed down as hard as he could. As soon as he was about to land his attack, the armor exploded in a field of non-light, and the entity disappeared completely leaving Goku swinging at empty air. The false deities had seen after all.

Ayanna and the witch had been using low-level spells since they began. Each was testing the other's ability to fight, and endure; but neither gave any quarters. "I think it's time I got rid of you, child." The witch said derisively. She stopped using incantations and started simply controlling her magical energy. It condensed into a large ball of lightning and shot off into several different, smaller balls. They all surrounded Ayanna who expected them to then converge on her. She had been prepared to dodge, but when she saw them form a barrier from one orb to the other she knew her chance for evasion had passed. The orbs shot lightning directly in the center and it spread out to encompass the entire area. Ayanna screamed out in pain. It was the first time she had been exposed to an electrical attack so she was pretty weak in resistance.

The energy died away and Ayanna stood slightly in pain, but with enough strength to still fight. She summoned her own magical energy and sent it into the ground. She quickly grabbed her bow and three arrows and ran around the witch keeping track of her distance. At three points all equally spaced she strung and then released an arrow. The witch, of course, stopped them, but then the earth beneath the three arrows caved in and a massive rock formation in the shape of a hand grabbed the witch and tossed her into the air. The arrows, again infused with energy, followed upwards and nipped past the witch. As she fell, so did the arrows, directly into her body. Meanwhile the rock formation became a jagged spear and stood waiting for the witch to be impaled upon it. She disappeared—teleported, rather—moments before she would have made contact with the rock formation—and reappeared behind Ayanna.

"You are a fledgling, girl."

"Oh, really? So then, maybe I should teach her a thing or two by using you." Camilla said coming from the earth and holding the witch by the neck with a knife at her throat.

"Camilla! Where did you—"Ayanna began to ask.

"I didn't come here just to watch everyone else have fun. Besides, it looked like you needed some help." She smiled.

"Thank you." Ayanna said, she felt even closer to Camilla now and completely disregarded everything she had beard about her beforehand.

"You!" the witch cried. "You are the Scarlet Kunoichi! You aren't supposed to be in this battle."

"I can be in any battle I want to, you however, shouldn't be sneaking off with other people's identities, Ginoshi."

The witch calmed and began to laugh. "You won't kill me here. They would never let you. I am too high of a candidate to be killed by you, Scarlet Kunoichi."

"Don't be too pretentious, I can kill whomever I feel like so long as I do my missions."

"I guess you can love anyone as well—you and that half-breed really do make a wonderful couple." Ginoshi laughed and disappeared. From nowhere her voice emanated to them, "I'll see you at the base, Carnelle, oh, I mean, Camilla."

The two girls stood in silence for a moment until they heard the heavy sound of metal hitting metal. It had come from the direction of the alley, but their sights soon turned to Gojyo and his opponent K'leil.

K'leil had not expected the blade to burst into flames, so he dodged the attack narrowly—to narrowly—so much so, that the flames seared his face and several strands of his hair as it shot passed him. The fire, however, had not simply exploded from the blade, but Gojyo himself had internally combusted and was encased in fire. The fire shone with a powerful light that seemed to dwarf all other light around him. The flames themselves licked and lashed out with a tremendous fury. It had completely burned away the alcohol still in Gojyo's system.

"I don't know what your problem is, you egotistical little douche-bag, but you don't have to involve anyone else!" Gojyo shouted, the flames seemed to rise in accordance to his voice levels. They roared a warning and hatred of their own as they consumed the ground that had been soaked with Sake. The people who had moved closer or those who had come had now all moved far back in fear.

"I don't understand it! I have everything." K'leil yelled. "So why can't I be happy? Why should half-demon's, or humans, or elves be happy and not me, a DEMON!" K'leil shouted. He was right, in a way. He did have everything: his parents were respected demonic nobles, he was one of the most prized demons growing up, no one had ever said "no" to him; but he wasn't happy. He hated those that were different, mostly because he was jealous. He was jealous that they could find happiness in being alive. He was jealous that they were persecuted and that they still could find the strength to live on. He was jealous that they could become as powerful, even more powerful, than he could be. It only served to make him even more spiteful.

He fired arrows at Gojyo, at the crowd again, at cars, at anything that was vulnerable. The flames surrounding Gojyo caught them all in mid flight and burned them to ashes. K'leil looked at Gojyo—at the red hair shining brightly in the aura of fire, at those red eyes, the color of blood, but of hot, boiling blood with anger unimaginable within them—and felt that he really was going to lose to a half-demon…what was it about humans that they can become so powerful, yet are so weak, and nonetheless pass their power on to other species?

"You know what your problem is? You don't know how to enjoy life." Gojyo smirked as he retracted the chained blade of his weapon. "Now, let me give you a taste of hell." He fired it again, and again it burst into flames; but aside from that, the flaming aura shot off three shakujou-like fingers that followed the same path as the real weapon. K'leil jumped to dodge the actual weapon, and rolled out of the way of the second, but then even more fingers of fire came from the aura cracking at him like large, red, orange, and yellow whips. Gojyo was pressing them forward with his mind. He had figured out that the flames were connected to him, and therefore, he could control them at will. He lashed at K'leil while he withdrew his shakujou. This time he sent out the shakujou along with several "flame shadow shakujou" in a wide arcing fan that caved inwards and ensnared K'leil.

The screams of pain that came from K'leil reverberated throughout the street. Ambulances, police cars, and even fire trucks had come onto the scene to see what had happened: the two children had died, some people had received minor, and major, burns, and no one dared go near the spectacle before them. The smell of burning skin repulsed them even more and the streets became lined with people retching and vomiting.

Gojyo was ready to end it. He pulled K'leil closer and began to spin him in a large circle. He lifted the circle up until the string was near vertical and the circular path was as small as possible. The fires grew, and seemed to form a large cylinder open at the top and bottom. Gojyo pulled down roughly on the chain while jumping into the air at the same time. In midair he did a backwards flip while pulling on the shakujou and the helpless, burning demon and landed with a final pull that brought the flaming chaos crashing into the melting concrete. Again, the force all but shattered the limp body that had been seared beyond recognition.

The flames died away and a magic circle appeared. Goku, Ayanna, and Camilla all came forward ignoring the disgusted, scared, inquisitive looks that they received from the people they passed. All four of them stepped into the circle and disappeared. All of them secretly knew that this battle had changed them even more than they thought could happen.

Author's Note: Whew! That took way too long. Sorry for the massive delay, readers, school really has been selfish about my time. In any case, what do you think? Cool, huh? How much do you think this is going to change our heroes? Or will they change at all? What was with that witch and why did she call Camilla Carnelle? Keep reading to find out.

On a side note, I would like to thank those that have for reviewing my chapters after reading them—it really let's me know I'm doing at least a decent job. Anyway, don't be afraid to review my chapter, and story…in fact, please do so! I really want to hear your thoughts and comments and your (constructive) criticism.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Elements

_All disclaimers apply._

No one had heard from Gojyo in over three days. He spent all his time in his room, by himself, not eating, or even talking to Camilla. Inside, he just sat and brooded. He thought about K'leil and how he had basically slaughtered someone without really understanding why, or how. The flames, once they had ignited, seemed to control themselves; or more closely, they seemed to control him. He remembered the feelings he felt during the battle: rage, anger, ambition; but when the flames started he felt something different—a sort of bloodlust. He remembered Goku's true form, the youkai Son Goku that had nearly killed him and the others so many times before; and he felt like that. He remembered not really having control over himself anymore, it was more like he was watching—a spectator in his own body—while the events took place.

"You have to come out sometime." Camilla called from outside his door. "C'mon, you haven't eaten in days. What's the matter?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he tried to figure out what it was that had changed him, made him cruel. He looked at the red gem that gave off an ethereal glow. _Maybe. These things were basically made by those fake gods, right? So maybe they all are traps to transform us into monsters. _He thought to himself. He held the crystal in his hands a little while longer and, suddenly, threw it against the opposing wall. It shattered into hundreds of tiny fragments and evaporated into the air.

Goku sat in the cafeteria of the place alone and watching. He watched the people that were still there go by, he watched the way they moved, the way they seemed to feel. He also watched the numbers dwindle at a faster rate than before. Over the course of the three days the cafeteria had become less and less crowded—as did the training center that Goku, often with Ayanna at his side, frequented—and now it seemed that Goku could count the number of people left on his two hands—not including him, Ayanna, Camilla, or Gojyo.

His musings stopped as he saw Ayanna walk towards him. She was wearing a teal blouse and jeans along with an ornate necklace, two bracelets on each hand, and Goku's diadem. She still had her emerald earrings and her eyes seemed to light up when she saw Goku there—although they had been meeting there everyday since the battle. In that time he had told her everything about him and his life—mostly about Sanzo, Hakkai, Gojyo, and Jeep as well as their trip to Shangri-La.

"Hey, Goku." Ayanna said with a broad smile.

"Hey, how ya' doin'?" The phrase was odd—even to Goku—and really out of place, but it had a way of lightening things and making the situation a little more—normal.

She didn't bother to respond with actual words, she just smiled as she sat down opposite Goku. Her smile died away soon after and she seemed contemplative. "Goku," She started. "I want to ask you something, but I don't know if I should."

"Jus' ask me an' I'll tell you." He answered looking her in the eyes. He admitted to himself that he loved looking at her eyes, being close to her, in fact, he was infatuated with her. He couldn't stop thinking about her; but at the same time, he didn't want to.

"At the last battle, I was fighting the witch, remember?"

"Yeah."

"Do…do you think I did a good job? I mean, I didn't beat her like you or Gojyo did, and she kinda got away; but do you think I'm strong?"

Goku waited for a moment before answering—he wanted to say the right thing, "I don't really know. I mean, I didn't really see you fight."

"Okay, well, remember the first time we met back in the forest on your planet and I heard that noise and jumped? I haven't really been able to kill anyone yet; and, so, I was wondering if I'm weak because of that?"

"Just 'cause you don't kill someone doesn't mean you're weak." Goku replied. "You're strong if you believe you're strong. I mean, I don't think you're weak at all, so neither should you."

"Really? So, you mean, if I want to get stronger I will; I just have to believe I will, right?"

"Y-yeah, somethin' like that." Goku said with a smile of his own. His golden eyes eclipsed by his eyelids due to the broad smile. Ayanna practically jumped over the table and hugged Goku. Up until that point, what the witch had said was haunting Ayanna terribly.

"From now on, I'm gonna train twice as hard. You'll see, I'll become so strong that no one will be able to beat me."

"Come out of there, we haven't eaten in three days. I'm beginning to get bored." Camilla called to Gojyo through the door. The first part was true: neither she nor Gojyo had eaten since they had been back; but as to her dying, it wasn't really the case. She knew she didn't have to stay outside the door at all. She also knew that most men usually get over whatever bothers them fairly quickly. Still, she felt attached to Gojyo. She sat outside his door and she just talked to him.

The door opened finally and she got up quickly to adjust herself. Gojyo's face looked terrible, but he just stared back with a goofy grin. "Hey, babe, how's it goin'?" he said.

"You haven't slept since we've been back, have you?" she asked him examining the deep, black circles around his red eyes.

"Nope, but man I'm hungry. And I could use a beer or two and a cigarette—I can't even remember the last time I've had a smoke."

"I'm not kidding with you, Gojyo. We're going to eat and then we're going to sleep right after."

Gojyo smirked as he reached out and put his arm around Camilla. "But will we been sleeping at all?" Camilla just smirked back.

"You try anything while we're under the covers and I will cut it off and shove it down your throat. I'm tired and so are you."

In truth, Gojyo really had no intentions of doing the like; but the warning still scared him. He ate the food given to them voraciously, and ate seconds, and thirds. Once they reached Gojyo's room and his bed both he and Camilla fell onto the bed heavily.

"I hope you know that when we wake up you and I are going to talk about whatever you were thinking about in here." Camilla said to Gojyo; but he hadn't heard her—he was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Camilla turned and looked at Gojyo as he slept. She gazed at his innocent beauty and marveled his features. Eventually, her eyes fell on his hair. _You say your hair reminds you of blood. _She thought. _But to me it seems more like fire. _She reached out towards him but let her hand drop down as she too fell asleep.

Camilla dreamed again, but this dream was different from her other one. This time she saw red—the red turned into the picture of a red-haired kid dressed in robes; then the face distorted itself and became Gojyo. He mouthed words to her that were inaudible; but he repeated them each time. It seemed like he said "Remember Thalus"; but it didn't make any sense. She spoke in this dream, but it seemed she had trouble making coherent words. What she said was garbled mess that came out nothing like she wanted—she kept asking "What is Thalus?" but the words were garble and rearranged until not even she could tell what she said. She awoke after this distorted for a moment. Her eyes refocused and she saw Gojyo's face, still asleep—still innocent. She got up and left determined to find out about her dreams.

She walked into the large room where the gods convened and yelled out loud, "I am here now Lords of All!" She felt a little apprehensive at the title, even though she had been saying it for years, hundreds of years. Before she met Gojyo she had no problem killing, she didn't dream much, and the gods were to be revered at all times. Now, she hated them almost as much as Goku appeared to, as if it was infectious.

Clouds swirled, the temperature dropped, the light dimmed. Figures rose from the mist and surrounded Camilla. She stood stout shrugging off her previous musings and assuming a set mind. "Carnelle, you have come to us without our calling you, yet there is a matter we must discuss." One of the figures said.

"Yes, Your Highness, I too have matters with which I must address you, the Council." She responded bowing her head in "respect".

"Then start by stating your business here, Carnelle."

"I would like to inquire about something I have…heard from some of the participants. I hear talk of a Thalus; do you know what it may mean?"

"From whom did you hear of this?" another figure said.

"I…I am not completely sure, it has passed to my ears simply in conversation." She said.

"It is of no importance, Thalus was the name of a contestant long before you came under our service." It had been the same one from before that answered. Camilla noticed, for once, that they never seemed to speak at the same time—ever.

"I thank you. Also, I saw Ginoshi at one of the last battle missions."

"Yes, and what of it? They all have been released to do what they want."

"Yes, but, is it not too soon?"

"No. In fact, we would like for you to join them at this point—just as you have done many times before. Do you have a problem with this, Carnelle?"

"N-no, not at all, Your Highness. I simply wanted to verify the point we are at in the tournament."

"Why, do you fear that contestants have become to strong? Or is there another reason for which you wished to bring up?" at this she looked up shocked.

"Yes, we know about you and the half-breed." Another of the deities said. "You are hereby told to kill him." Her eyes widened at this order.

"Your Highness, I do not understand? You said that he was not a threat in the tournament."

"Yes, and he was not when I said it. However, he has shown—skill not previously noticed. As well, he seems to be distracting you from your duties—which is why the Elements have been released earlier than normal, Scarlet Kunoichi; and you will join them in the next stage of the tournament. You will leave that contingent of rejects and do your job, Carnelle."

"I understand, Your Highness. I thank you for your wisdom." She said heartlessly as she walked backwards towards the door. Once again in the main hall she began to cry. It would be impossible to decide between the two: either she had to follow orders and kill him on the next battle, or she would disobey and stay with the one she loved. She knew that if she did the latter, she and he would be killed mercilessly. However, she couldn't relinquish someone so dear to her. Gojyo was the first person—the first man—that she had ever truly had feelings for; he awakened something inside her, something that had been hidden deep within. She couldn't kill him; but she couldn't disobey.

Goku, Gojyo, and Ayanna were in Ayanna's room talking. They wanted to develop a plan to get at the gods and face them; but they were stuck.

"There is no way we can physically talk to them?" Ayanna asked, more rhetorically than not.

"Not unless we do somethin' to piss them off." Gojyo answered.

"Hey, I remember somethin' from the last battle we were in. There was this guy—the one is the armor—that didn't wanna fight at all. He was taken away before I could kill 'em though." Goku said.

"He didn't want to fight? So he was gonna let you kill him?" Gojyo asked.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to die." He told them about the knight he fought.

"That's so sad." Ayanna said with a tear in her eye.

"Wait, you mean that dude you fought was in love with…another dude?" Gojyo asked almost appalled.

"Hey, Kappa! We're tryin' to be serious here." Goku said throwing a nearby pillow at Gojyo's head.

"Whoa, I'm just kiddin', damn." He said dodging the pillow. His face grew serious, though, and he looked directly at Goku. "You know, you've grown up a lot since we've been here."

"Wha?" Goku asked.

"What do you mean?" inquired Ayanna.

"Well before, Goku was a sniveling little brat that always wanted to eat. He was just like a little monkey—except this monkey ate everything all the time. I mean, it's like you grew up while you were here."

Goku had never thought of this, but the more he thought about it the truer it became. He hadn't really been the same Goku from before. He wondered if Ayanna had something to do with that. An awkward silence followed with everyone looking at each other, suddenly Ayanna spoke. "Actually, I have something from the last battle too."

"Hm? You too?" Gojyo asked.

"Yeah, I remember when I was fighting the witch Camilla came and helped, but she didn't kill the witch. The witch disappeared, but she said something to Camilla before she left; it was something like 'You can't kill me, they won't let you.' or something like that. And she called Camilla Carnelle."

There came a knock at the door when she finished. Ayanna got up to answer and came back with a sheet of paper. "It's addressed to all of us." She began. "It says: All contestants will be moved into the third stage of the tournament. You will be expected to survive in a predestined world for ten days with only your weapons, supplies, and instincts. You may form groups if it is to your advantage, but you are expected to make at least three kills before you can qualify for the next round. Please report to the warp gates to be taken to the chosen world".

"So I guess we get our chance." Gojyo said getting up.

"So we jus' don't fight back, right?"

"It'll never work." Camilla said suddenly appearing from outside Ayanna's door. She looked wrecked, as if she had been up for days thinking about something. She seemed depressed, and unwilling to be there.

"A-are you okay?" Ayanna asked.

Ignoring her question, Camilla began to talk. "If you want to see the gods, there is a chamber-room that is unmarked; but is the largest room in the place. Call them out and they will come. I can't go with you on the next mission."

"But they said everyone has to go?" Gojyo asked.

"Well, I just can't!" she yelled. It was the first time Gojyo saw her not sure of herself, or not sure of the situation. He knew who she was; he had heard the rumors and understood she was with the gods.

"Is it that you can't go at all, or that you can't go with us?" he asked.

"What!" Camilla's voice mirrored her distraught feelings. "Don't you know by now?" she ran out of the room tears streaming from her eyes.

Gojyo looked at Goku and Ayanna, then at the door, then back at the two. He got up and ran to look for Camilla.

She ran as fast as she could and got into the area with the other Elements. She looked at them and recomposed herself. Everyone was there, all twelve of them—one for each of the gods' elements. She went over the structure in her head. There were the physical elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Then there were the "Critical Elements": Light, Dark, Heaven, and Hell; after these were the "Celestial Elements": Sun and Moon. Finally, there were the "Unparalleled Elements": Life and Death. Of all these elements, she was the Element of Death—Carnelle.

"I must do my duty; as Death, I must kill." She said to herself trying not to think of Gojyo. Even Goku and Ayanna had begun to be close to her. She felt that they gave her a sense of being—even though they had not been friends for very long. She wished it wouldn't have to be this way. She wanted out…at least, that's what she felt she wanted. She felt her body dissipate and she thought about just letting herself be killed.

Goku, Ayanna, and Gojyo walked at a somber pace. Gojyo looked a mixture of annoyance and sadness. He had run after Camilla, but lost her soon after; the only thing he found was an amulet which he wore almost unconsciously.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Ayanna affirmed.

"Maybe she jus' had ta' do somethin' else." Goku offered.

"No, I don't think she isn't going. She's gonna be there." Gojyo said almost at a whisper. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to fight her, and that the fire from before would not emerge.

All three of them stepped onto the platforms and were vaporized and transported to the world.

Author's Note: Thank you again for reading. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Again, don't be afraid to send me reviews—especially now. This point (as I'm sure you can tell) is pretty crucial. It could end very badly for our heroes. So, tell me—should I stretch it out, or should I avoid the suspension. I know many of you are wondering about Camilla—don't worry, I will clear things up completely.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Grand Battle; Day 1

The air was cold and crisp. There were no clouds in the sky and the sun shone with a heavy light. Goku looked towards the rising sun across the empty plains of grass and stared. He wasn't really thinking of anything, he just felt like something wanted him to go in that direction. He looked away after a moment when he heard stirring beside him. Ayanna got up slowly and shook off the dirt from her clothes. Goku looked into her eyes and saw something in them that gave him a warm feeling.

"Hey, I see we're together this time." She said to him smiling.

"Yeah, an' Gojyo's over there too." He answered nodding his head over to his left where Gojyo was sitting at the edge of a hill.

Gojyo stared into the northern sky without feeling. He thought of Camilla and of how she had run out of the room before. He wanted to see her—he felt he deserved to see her in a way. They had grown so close that it was as if Gojyo had known Camilla all his life—or that he might want to know her for the rest of it. His red hair shone vibrantly in the sun. The cold of the air along with the heat of the directly shining sun gave him a comforting contrast that he didn't want to let go of. It made him think of the times he had spent with Camilla and how much fun he had had.

"Gojyo, are you okay?" Ayanna asked walking over to where he sat.

Gojyo looked up at her and gave a sly grin. "Yeah, I'm great, I'm just soakin' in all the sun."

She sat down beside him and began looking off into the distance with him. Goku soon came over and sat with them. The three of them stared off into the empty sky forgetting everything else: the tournament, their plans, everything.

"Three people are all I need to kill. And here they're all nestled together like a bunch of idiots—perfect."

At the sound of the new, deep voice, all three quickly rose and turned. The figure before them was human in form and extremely handsome. He had fierce, purple eyes and hair and stood with a confident stance. His clothing was simple: a thick open vest and pants made of a soft cloth. He held a silver staff at his side.

"Do you even think you can take us all on at once?" Gojyo said preparing to attack.

"Tch." The guy laughed. "God, no! In fact, I had no intentions of fighting you at all. It's just, you all were pretty vulnerable right there. I just wanted you to know that."

"Who are you?" Goku asked lowering his Nyoi-Bo.

"My name is Zephin Ar'kachin. I was just passing through and saw you three. Are you all a group?"

"No, we were just sittin' with each other because of the scenery." Gojyo said sarcastically.

Zephin looked and then just began chuckling to himself. "I guess I deserved that. It would be extremely stupid for you all to just sit there if you didn't know each other. Anyway, if you don't mind, I would like to join you guys. All my comrades are gone—dead actually—and I really don't like being alone.

"Why should we trust you?" Goku asked staring at this guy.

"Well, I guess there really isn't a reason that you should; but then again, if I were going to attack you, I would have just done it while none of you had your guard up. By the way, I'm eighteen years old and can hear thoughts." He said looking at Ayanna who began to blush.

"I guess there's no real reason to avoid adding to the party. I mean, we are one short…" Ayanna said a sad looking crossing her face as she said the last part.

"Yeah, I guess so." Gojyo answered without emotion behind his words.

"Okay, well then, welcome Zephin." Goku smiled extending his hand. Zephin agreed with a smile and shook hands with Goku.

Gojyo copied the gesture and held out his hand, but when his hand met with Zephin's, Camilla's amulet reacted and began to shimmer with light. The light was intense and soon engulfed Zephin's body. Everyone else tried to hide their eyes from the intense light and waited for it to die out.

When it finally did, Zephin's body was levitating in the air. His hair and his eyes had turned a fiery red-orange and looked down onto the group with a boyish essence.

"K-Kouga?" Ayanna asked softly. She thought she had recognized the person before, but after the transformation it was almost easy to tell that they were the same person—or should have been.

"Yes, Ayanna, it is me. This body is, the perfect vessel for me."

"Hey, Ayanna, what just happened?" Goku asked whispering beside her.

"Well, for people in my world, there is a special ability where the dead can possess the body of someone that has similar spirit-energy setup; kind of like what you call Chi. Usually they are descendants or relatives of the one they are trying to control. Also, the spirit can't have passed on to the afterlife. But that kind of technique wasn't developed until about a century ago. Kouga would be much older than that.

"Okay, that's great, but how do you know this guy?" Gojyo asked.

"I can, talk to spirits. Summon them from the afterlife and things like that. It's my _dyrsaizen—_a special trait of the spirit. I met him a long time ago, before I came to the tournament. Actually he was the one who told me about the tournament, and about his sister." From there, Ayanna told of Laeya and of her death at the hands of the gods of the tournament.

"Thank you, Ayanna. But I must be quick, I cannot continue to control this body as I have not the energy to do so. I must be quick. My sister, she is in trouble. She needs you." He pointed to Gojyo. "And you must be careful. The gods have this world under their control. They know what is going on. You must kill the required number in order to escape punishment. I know it is hard, but it must be done. I…can't…promise…it will…be easy…but…save…my…sister…from…the"—he disappeared. Zephin's body came to the ground and returned to normal. He shook his head and looked into the faces of the three heroes.

"Uh, what happened?" he asked.

"You were possessed by one of your ancestors." Gojyo said nonchalantly. "I think you should be wearing this." He took off the amulet and gave it to Zephin to wear. Zephin looked at them with a bewildered face, and then put the amulet on.

Goku and Ayanna stood thinking about everything. Ayanna looked thoroughly confused, while Goku seemed to have everything together on the surface.

"So, basically, Camilla is Laeya?" he asked.

"No, not quite." She answered. "Camilla is Carnelle, Carnelle is Laeya. The god's somehow destroyed her body and gave her a completely new one; but that doesn't make sense, Camilla never hinted about this ever."

"Maybe she doesn't know? Maybe she was brainwashed."

"Brainwashed?" Ayanna asked. It actually shocked Goku that she didn't know what that was, although he didn't know why. What he did know, was that he was not unfamiliar with brainwashing.

"It's when someone's memory is taken from them by someone else."

"Oh, so you think that they took her memory away and told her she was someone different?"

"Yeah. Maybe that's why Kouga wants us to help her. So she can remember who she really is." He looked at her sternly before continuing. "So I guess we really do have to kill more people." He said it with a concerned tone; as if he didn't actually want to fight. The more he thought about it, the more silly it seemed. He had no problem killing before. In fact, when he fought, he aimed to kill. But now it seemed a bit cruel.

"Yeah, but if you really think about it, it's okay." Gojyo remarked coming up beside them. "Just look at it this way: they won't have to look anyone in the face and tell them they lost to a monkey and a kappa." He smiled a hollow grin and turned his thoughts to Camilla once again. He thought of her briefly and then snuffed the image of her out of his mind. The four of them walked into the plains of grass towards the sun.

Camilla looked out of the tinted window of the small station. Outside it was raining heavily—a minor squall in the sky. She thought a little more about Gojyo and of the time they had spent together.

"Carnelle. If you are still thinking about that half-breed, then don't," the Element of Flames—Inferyu—said to her.

She turned and smiled as she replied, "I wasn't. I was just looking at those clouds of rain and wondering how long they will last. Besides, the whole thing with him was just a little fling."

"Just make sure that it stays that way. We can't afford to lose you now." He replied looking at her. In his natural form he had large, golden eyes and blond hair with red tips. He wore a light, red tunic and a necklace that had the symbol of fire on it: a large flame with markings at each of the tips.

"I'm over him. I bet you, though; he's not over me. If I see him while we're here, he'll be easy to kill." She said moving away from the window. She looked at the other Elements. All of them were stationed in different places. She counted them in her head. _One, two, three, four…_ until she ended at herself—twelve. Their mission was simple: kill anyone that they see; but the outcome would be the same: at least half of them would end up dying. It wasn't a matter of necessity, it wasn't even the gods' doing, it just typically was that some of the contestants were so powerful that they could beat one of the Elements. In all her time, she had seen each and every Element die—except her. She was too powerful, too alluring, too skillful to kill—and she mostly ended up fighting guys she had seduced beforehand. She sighed briefly and thought, _I have work to do._ She began to address her comrades.

"Okay, listen up everyone. We will start with a role call."

"Inferyu, Element of Fire, present." He held his right hand over his heart and clutch a long staff with the left.

"Jaiden, Element of Earth, present." A girl of simple upbringing, she repeated Inferyu's gesture, except she held a Halberd in her left hand.

"Sothe, Element of Water, present." Another girl, she wore a decadent kimono with long sleeves—which were themselves weapons—and a serpent blade.

"Ciello, Element of Wind, present." A boy with teal colored hair and carried two metal whips on his waist.

"Seihgon, Element of Light, present." Another boy with bleach-blond hair. He held a bow and had quivers of arrows at his back. He also wielded a magical short-sword.

"Saighon, Element of Darkness, present." The twin sister to Seihgon had jet-black hair and wielded a bow as well as magic tomes.

"Ginoshi, Element of Hell, present." The witch from before stated slyly. With her alive, all of the tournament's previous contestants could—and would—be brought back to life during the final round.

"Caouri, Element of Heaven, present." An angel in all but attitude. He boasted relative immortality—until he was killed in the previous battle royale. His weapons were a grand sword, and light magic.

"Lydia, Element of Moons, present." A timid and shy girl who ruthlessly killed when provoked. She wielded a magical spear.

"Tanzu, Element of Suns, present." A red-haired boy who looked about 16, but would kill nonetheless. He was a master of explosives and light-fire magic.

"Ellion, Element of Life, present." An opposite to Camilla in almost every way. He delighted in seducing women, but he never really killed them—they died of 'complications' nine months after his interactions with them. He used a broadsword and almost all types of magic.

"Carnelle, Element of Death, present. Now, since all of you are here, you know that the third round was…rushed." Camilla said sternly.

"The contestants have been given a minimum of three persons to kill, and the gods say that this includes us. If you die before the end of the tenth day, Ginoshi and Ellion will resurrect you; however, on the tenth day, we will all be leaving and your resurrection may not come as swiftly. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Our task is simple: kill everyone. Even civilians this time. The planet we are on is an old one said to be doomed to destruction. We are going to be carrying out this destruction after the end of the third round—with, or without you. You may come here to rest and recover or whatever, but no contestant is allowed to enter the gates, is that understood?" Again they all nodded. "This meeting is adjourned. Have fun." She smiled wickedly and dismissed them.

Inferyu looked at Camilla once again before heading out of the door. "Just remember…" he didn't bother to finish. Camilla nodded her head and went in the opposite direction towards a bedroom.

Once there, she lay down and drifted into a somber sleep and didn't wake up for two hours. She whispered softly before she fell asleep, "Gojyo, don't come to find me."

"Man, I'm so HUNGRY!" Goku whined. They had been walking for about two hours and they were still in the plains of grass.

"Quit your gripin', monkey!" Gojyo countered. "Man, what is with this place! We've been walkin' for hours now!"

"This place seems very familiar to me." Ayanna chimed in.

"Can we please take a break, my legs are killing me!" Zephin said flopping to the floor.

"Yeah, good idea." Gojyo said falling to the floor as well. Everyone else did the same. "This place sucks already!" Gojyo exclaimed falling back and looking into the sky. There was nothing really up there, no clouds or birds or anything like that.

"How long have we been walking?" Goku asked pulling his pack and searching for food.

"At least two hours." Ayanna sighed grabbing bread from her own pack.

"It feels like forever!" Zephin yelled into the air as he fell back onto the soft grass.

"Come to think of it, we've seen the same scene again, and again, and again." Said Zephin.

"Well, we're probably just victims of some sort of illusion spell." Ayanna said matter-of-factly.

"Or just some bad, lazy cartoonist." Goku said trying to lighten the mood. In truth, they all knew that they were in some sort of illusion, but it would have had to start the moment they landed in the world. The idea had dawned on the group about an hour into their promenade; but no one could tell where the source would have come from.

"So, let's be honest, we're trapped in an illusion, does anyone have anyway of getting us out of it?" asked Gojyo.

"Don't look at me! I don't have the slightest clue!" Zephin exclaimed diving into a thick biscuit. He chewed loudly, then took a canteen of water and gulped it down before he spoke again. "As far as I can tell, the person doing this must be close by; but how close it completely up in the air."

"I thought I smelled something different about a mile back." Goku said. "We passed it like, ten times, and it's been in the same place. Maybe that is the source?"

"I doubt it, it could have been put there to throw us off. Whoever did this probably was smart enough to do that much." Ayanna replied.

"Ayanna's right. The people here in this part of the tournament are all the top fighters. It's a total battle royale now with every remaining fighter a part of this. You guys saw the letters, everyone is here who hasn't died. The least we can expect is that the person that did this has no idea about our strengths and abilities." Zephin explained.

"Well, we know what this guy's tryin' ta do: he wants to tire us out before he attacks us. That way we'll be too tired to fight back." Goku said.

"Wow, monkey, I'm surprised you knew that…" Gojyo laughed.

"HEY! I'M NOT STUPID, YA' KAPPA!" Goku screamed diving towards Gojyo.

"Oh yeah! Then why don't ya' keep yer yap shut, stupid monkey!"

"What for?!" Goku yelled attempting to put Gojyo in a chokehold. The two friends began to wrestle in the grass.

"Uh, what the heck are they doing?" Zephin asked Ayanna with a baffled expression on his face.

"Oh, don't mind them, I've learned that they do that often…they'll stop in a couple of minutes." She replied.

"Okay, just as long as they don't kill each other first, they really look like they're out for blood!"

A sudden rumble halted Goku and Gojyo's playful folly and grabbed Zephin and Ayanna's attention. The rumble continued to grow until it was a full, localized earthquake. The ground began to rend itself in pulsing waves and a large figure clad in golden armor emerged. The armor, a type designed for males, soon dissipated and revealed a dark-skinned humanoid male with long, ebony hair, and dark, piercing eyes. He wore a devilish grin on his face as he materialized a golden mace and took hold of it.

Unperturbed, Goku and Gojyo both grabbed their weapons and smiled with dignity.

"Worked like a charm, huh, Goku?" Gojyo laughed.

"See! I told ya I wasn't stupid!" he laughed as well.

"So, you tried to lure him out of hiding…good plan. Apparently, it worked." Zephin remarked. "But, his mana signature seems very complex, I don't know if this is going to be so easy."

"If you're scared you can always back off. Gojyo and I can handle this." Goku smirked.

At this the two charged forward wielding their weapons. Goku, with his Nyoi-Bo, ran and jumped to the opponent's left while Gojyo, his shakujou jumped to the right. At the same moment, they both fired their weapons, the chain and blade from Gojyo's staff blazing forward and the end of Goku's weapon extending. They enemy, undaunted, stopped both weapons with a psychokinetic force field. Landing on the ground, the two tried to recall their weapons, but to no avail.

The enemy began to laugh as he continued to hold on to the items. Zephin and Ayanna both attacked as well. Zephin threw a large volley of throwing knives while Ayanna fired shot after shot of arrows. She systematically infused every third arrow with magic energy just in case they could pass the field. Unfortunately, the field stopped all of them in place and held them without effort. Even the magic-infused arrows were halted upon entering the field.

The enemy continued to laugh. "You are trying the same things everyone before you tried. This is going to be nothing for me!" as he said this, he turned the weapons towards their respective owner and charged them with magic energy of his own.

"This is over already." He said, but just before he was about to fire the weapons into the group a large serpent sword pierced his chest from the back and wrapped itself around his neck. Dark, foreign symbols shimmered on the metal of the blade and moved onto the body of the enemy causing him to scream in horrid pain.

"You're right, and I didn't even break a sweat." A dark voice echoed from behind the opponent. His body soon exploded and turned into energy that was absorbed by the blade. The group's weapons fell to the ground and the four were able to see who the vanquisher was. They followed the path of the serpent sword as it retracted into its original form. The wielder was also surrounded by a group of four people. One, a girl wearing a white battle suit, had piercing blue eyes and chestnut hair. She wore a dark, menacing smile and gripped the chained-kunai at her side. Two others were both boys who looked to be twins with icy blue hair and eyes. They each held a set of tonfa-like blades that extended up to their shoulders from their wrists. The last, the wielder of the serpent sword, had stark blond hair, red eyes, and a dark, wild look in his eyes and demeanor. What was shocking about them all was their bodies were covered in markings similar to the ones on the blade.

"Looks like we have company." Gojyo smirked.

"I don't suppose they will want to befriend us, will they?" Ayanna remarked

"There's something odd about their mana…" said Zephin.

"That's the smell I smelled before! They all smell like graveyard dirt." Goku exclaimed. All four watched as the new challengers walked towards them.

Author's Note: Yeah, I know, it's been, like nine months, but I was really busy! Anyway, I realize that not a whole lot of action has happened so far (especially in this chapter) but I promise that the next few will really attempt to live up to the name of "Action". Oh, yeah, I've been informed by she who shall not be named that my chapters are too long…What do you guys think? Is there anything else you feel should be changed about this fanfic? Do you think it was okay to change the rating? Don't be afraid! Send me reviews!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Enter the Battle! The Depth of Darkness

The four figures walked forward with a dark air about them. "What do we have here?" the girl said.

"More challengers, Ren-chan" the blond answered.

"At least this time there are four of them. That means one for each one of us; although Soryu already killed twenty people…I suppose that means he should sit this one out."

"Jiiru, you've killed eighteen yourself. How can you try to kill my fun? It's not my fault you were too slow on the last two".

Goku and Gojyo, weapons in hand, couldn't help but wonder about what the four were saying. It seemed as if they were in this only to kill and that they were actually having fun doing it.

"Hey, how about an introduction? It's not fun to fight someone and you don't know their name!" Gojyo called out to the four as they continued to approach.

"What the hell are you doing, you idiot? Do you want them to kill us?" Zephin croaked.

"It doesn't matter: do you see the look in their eyes? They are going to try to kill us no matter what."

"Hey, Red-Hair!" the blond said now standing twenty feet away. "You're the half-demon that has everyone talking?"

"Tch, I didn't know I was so famous. I'm flattered." Gojyo smiled.

"Hm. I like your hair…and your eyes. They're just like mine: the same color as blood rich with air. Like a body slashed open and writhing on the floor. It gives me such a desire just looking into your eyes—eyes rich with hatred and anger and human desire. My eyes are just like that. I think I will take yours as a reminder of my own. I'll spend hours staring into those red eyes and think of all my conquests, and how much hatred I have for the living! I can't wait to have them in my collection." The blond said beginning to quiver with excitement and anticipation. "My name is Soryu" he said pointing to himself and then he pointed to the others as he said their names. "Her name is Renja. The two boys there: on the right, he is Jiiru and on the left is Ryutsu".

"Why do you smell like graveyard dirt?" Goku asked.

"Hey, I thought I recognized him, Jiiru, that's Son Goku! You look different from when you were a god. I suppose that happens, after what you did, the only reasonable thing was to disown you completely. Oh, I will enjoy destroying you: Ryutsu spoke.

"These people, their hearts are filled with such blood lust. Their very auras scare me." Ayanna said shivering behind Goku.

"Don't worry," Goku said smiling back to her "we'll beat 'em easy!"

"Don't count on it, Goku. They took out that guy without so much as a second thought. We couldn't even get close to him and they just destroyed him in, like, two seconds." Zephin said.

"We'll do our best anyway, right?" said Gojyo. No one responded with words, they just grabbed their weapons and readied their stances.

"Jiiru, I think you should take the Nyrden, he's the one we least need to worry about right now. Make sure he doesn't reach his critical limit, though, or you might be in for your match. Renja, you take the girl. You know me, I don't fight women—it's bad manners. Ryutsu, the half-demon is mine, after all, I don't think you'll have a problem with Son Goku as he is."

"Do you all just take orders from him like that?" Gojyo asked.

"Does it matter? I don't tell them anything they don't want to do already." Soryu laughed. As he finished, his eyes turned sharp and truly malevolent. He disappeared with only a vague after-image left behind. The others did the same each brandishing their unique weapons.

Zephin had no trouble predicting where his opponent would attack. He side-stepped to the right planting his staff to stop his motion. As soon as his opponent reached the spot Zephin once was, he lurched in for a counter-attack sweeping his leg for a powerful kick. Jiiru blocked it effortlessly with the side edge of his tonfa-like blade.

"You're going to have to do much better than that if you hope to match me." He laughed.

Goku's sense of smell wasn't helping him here. He couldn't smell anything other than graveyard dirt which made his head hurt slightly. He was also distracted by what his opponent had said; however, he didn't have time to think about this further, for his opponent, also wielding tonfa-like blades came in for the attack. Goku barely managed to roll out of the way and succinctly elude another attack from his foe. He stood up finally and looked for his opponent.

"What's the matter? Your human form can't handle the speed? Why don't you turn into your youkai form?" Ryutsu asked as he continued to attack

Goku was on the defensive, trying hard and barely succeeding at blocking the relentless volley of attacks. He was shocked, however, that Ryutsu knew about his youkai form, the form that caused a lot of trouble when the Sanzo ikkou were chasing after Gyumao and the negative energy wave turned all youkai insane and bloodthirsty.

"How d'you know me?" he asked trying to go on the offensive with a swift thrust of his Nyoi-Bo.

Ryutsu caught it before it reached his chest and laughed. "Monkey King, all the gods of this world know about you. I hated you because of that."

"You're a…"

Ryutsu smiled evilly, "That's right!"

"You're very pretty, Ayanna. Reminds me of my youth."

"You're dead! How can you be moving like this?" The two females ran in a wide circle each throwing projectiles at the other.

"I'm not dead, little witch, I'm immortal."

"Then why does Goku smell graveyard dirt?" Ayanna asked shooting another bow. She decided to take the fight to more close-hand combat. Drawing a long knife in each hand, she drove in to intercept Renja. Renja retracted the kunai and withdrew a shortsword also laced with markings.

"I'll admit, I died once. We were betrayed by one of our own for pretty materialism. He feared his own life so much that he gave up ours to protect it. So, we found out a way to regain our lives—all we had to do was kill a thousand demons and then kill the one who killed us and we were immortal."

"That's monstrous! How can you kill so effortlessly?"

Renja began to laugh and disappeared again. Ayanna, undaunted, sat down on the ground and began concentrating her magic energy. A seal immediately appeared beneath her and a barrier shot up and surrounded her. Renja slashed the barrier with her short sword in one hand, shattering into energy shards. With the other hand, she launched the chained-kunai and only barely missed Ayanna's neck. Ayanna shifted and suddenly melded into the ground.

"Clever little witch aren't you? Although I would expect that from you, after all, you are from the same planet as Laeya. Hopefully this will be a bit of fun for me. I haven't had the chance to fight someone from Laeya's planet in quite some time."

She drove her hand to the ground and emitted waves of energy the rendered the earth, making it ripple as if a stone was dropped into a pond of water. Ayanna was soon forced out of her hiding place and tried to regain her footing well enough to plan her next attack. She didn't have enough time, Renja flew forward with the ground still moving under her immense power and she drew the chain around Ayanna's neck.

Gojyo and Soryu fought fiercely. As with all the others, he was on the defensive and could find no way to change that. _Damn! _He thought to himself. _I just can't get any kind of footing with this guy. All his moves are so fast that I can barely keep up. He hasn't even tried to extend his sword yet. If he does, I will be in a lot of trouble._

"I know what you're thinking, you're worried about my sword's serpent form. Don't concern yourself with that or you'll be dead before you know it, half-demon."

"Why do you call me 'half-demon'?" Gojyo asked. He had become accustomed to people in this place calling him half-breed, and he occasionally heard words such as spoiled-blood, abomination and so on.

"Well, that's what you are, you are only half of a demon. Everyone knows that, just because they call you half-breed doesn't mean I have to."

The two stopped fighting for a moment. They stared at each others' eyes: one set filled with pure malice and utter darkness, the other filled with anger and longing. They both could distinctly hear the sounds of combat coming from the others as they fought.

"So what brought you here?"

"We just got bored watching you all." Soryu stated simply.

"What do you mean you got bored watching?"

"It's simple: We were watching you all have fun fighting and killing one another and just living in the moment, that we got bored and decided to join in. That's why we've released all of our best warriors in this world. To be honest, we wanted to save the best for last, but I guess we ran into you a little early."

Gojyo launched the chained end of his shakujou at Soryu moving the chain so that it would completely ensnare him. In response, Soryu launched his own sword, the edge snaking outward and laced the chain of the shakujou breaking it effortlessly and continuing towards Gojyo. The tip of the blade pierced through Gojyo's chest and the markings began to glow.

Immediately, Gojyo felt the intense pain as if he were on fire. He tried to focus and push past the pain and retreat, but the sword went with him. Soon he felt a sudden flare and could see through his slit eyes that tongues of flames were crawling down the length of the serpent sword towards Soryu. It was the same fire from before, but the feelings weren't the same. Before he had a sickening, uninhibited feeling that screamed at him to do what the flames wanted; now he just felt the pain of the blade, and how the pain subsided and soon the blade had returned to its original form.

"That fire, so it instilled itself in you? This will be interesting indeed, Gojyo. I look forward to our next battle, make sure that you are there when the final bell is called. Oh, and, by the way, Carnelle is mine. Stay away from her. It took me years to find her and now I am not going to lose her to you." He turned confidently and called out to his friends.

As Ryutsu heard the call he let go of the attack. "Goku, you had better get stronger if you hope to even come near my strength." With that, he disappeared.

As Renja heard the call, she very reluctantly let go of the slowly dying Ayanna. "Remember, little girl, I am immortal. No spirit you can call will change that." As she finished, she disappeared as well.

"How do you know who I am?" Zephin asked Jiiru.

"Of course I know all about you Nyrdens we threatened your planet for a reason, you know." He answered. "But then, that reason was because of your little ability, the, uh, critical limit entity that you possess. But after fighting you, I'm not worried about it so much. So what if you transform? I wasn't even trying and I almost had you. Two more attacks and your weapon would have been gone and you with it." He laughed as he disappeared.

The group came back together and looked at the falling sun. Time seemed to have passed dramatically in this first day and the recent battle left them all with something to worry about. As Ayanna retold her battle with Renja, both Goku and Gojyo remarked at how they gained their immortality.

"Gojyo, that's just like…" Goku started.

"I know." Gojyo answered. It was a lot like Hakkai. For the first time in a while, he missed being with the priest and his buddy; and by the look on Goku's face, he missed them too.

A/N: Hey, happy 4th of July, everyone. I was really trying to get this finished now that I have some free time on my hands. I'm sure many of you noticed that I started putting asterisks in places where the character focus changes. I've done this because some of my readers have said that it's hard to tell when the focus shifts. So what do you think of the chapter? Please read and review.


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